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Old Goa | |
|---|---|
City | |
  Old Goa  Old Goa | |
| Coordinates:15°30′11″N73°54′43″E / 15.503°N 73.912°E /15.503; 73.912 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Goa |
| District | North Goa |
| Sub District | Ilhas |
| Established | 1510 |
| Founded by | Afonso de Albuquerque |
| Named after | "Old Goa" in Portuguese |
| Government | |
| • Type | Panchayat |
| Area | |
• Total | 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 2,550 |
| • Density | 640/km2 (1,700/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Konkani |
| • Also Spoken | English,Portuguese |
| • Historical | Portuguese |
| Religions[1] | |
| • Dominant | Roman Catholicism |
| • Minor | Hinduism |
| • Historical | Roman Catholicism |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Postcode | 403403 |
| Telephone Code | 0832 |
Old Goa (Konkani:Pornnem Gõy; Adlem Gõy;Portuguese:Velha Goa,lit. ''Old Goa'') is ahistorical site andcity situated on the southern banks of theRiver Mandovi, within theTiswaditaluka (Ilhas) ofNorth Goa district, in the Indianstate ofGoa.
The city was established by theBijapur Sultanate in the 15th century AD. After thePortuguese conquest of Goa, it served as capital ofPortuguese Indian possessions, such as Mumbai/Bombay (Bom Bahia) territory and the state of Kochi/Cochin (Cochim), until its abandonment in the 18th century AD due to aplague. Under Portuguese rule, it is said to have been a city of nearly 200,000 people, from whence thespice trade was carried out across thePortuguese East Indies. The deserted city, containing churches and convents of outstanding architectural and religious importance, has been declared aWorld Heritage Site by theUNESCO.[2] Old Goa is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) east of the current state capital ofPanjim (Portuguese:Nova Goa,lit. ''New Goa'').
The name "Old Goa" was first used in the 1960s in the address of theRomi Konkani monthly magazine, dedicated to spread the devotion of theSacred Heart of Jesus,Dor Mhoineachi Rotti, which was shifted to theBasilica of Bom Jesus in 1964. Postal letters were returned to the sender, as the name "Old Goa" was unknown then, according to then- and long-time editor of the monthly, the great Goan historian late FatherMoreno de Souza, S.J.
The village panchayat uses the name Sé-Old Goa, while thelndia Post and theArchaeological Survey of India use the name Velha Goa.
The place is popularly calledSaibachem Gõy (referring to SaintFrancis Xavier asSaib, i.e., Master),Pornnem Gõy,Adlem Gõy, or simply justGõy in Konkani.[citation needed]
Velha Goa should not be confused withGoa Velha lying a few miles away. The namesVhoddlem Gõy andThorlem Gõy ("Big Goa") refer to Goa Velha; whileGõy, besides referring to Velha Goa ("Old Goa"), also generally refers to the entireGoa state.[3]
The city was founded in the 15th century as a port on the banks of theMandovi river by the rulers of theBijapur Sultanate. It was built to replace Govapuri, which lay a few kilometres to the south and had been used as a port by theKadamba andVijayanagar kings. Old Goa was the second capital afterBijapur of the rule ofAdil Shahi Dynasty. It was surrounded by a moat and contained theshah's palace,mosques, andtemples. The city wascaptured by the Portuguese and was underPortuguese rule from 1510 as the administrative seat ofPortuguese India.
The viceroy's residence was transferred in 1759 to the future capital,Panjim (a village about 9 kilometres to its west). Few remnants, if any, of the pre-Portuguese period remain at Old Goa.
During the mid-16th century, the Portuguese colony of Goa, especially Velha Goa, was the center ofChristianisation in the East.[4] The city was evangelized by all religious orders, since all of them had their headquarters there.[5] The population was roughly 200,000 by 1543. Malaria and cholera epidemics ravaged the city in the 17th century and it was largely abandoned, only having a remaining population of 1,500 in 1775. It was then that the viceroy moved to Panjim. It continued to be thede jure capital of Goa until 1843, when the capital was shifted to Panjim (Ponnjê in Konkani, Nova Goa in Portuguese and Panaji in Hindi). The abandoned city came to be known as "Velha Goa" (in Portuguese, 'Old Goa'), to distinguish it from the new capital Nova Goa (Panjim) and probably alsoGoa Velha (also meaning "Old Goa"), which was the Portuguese name for the town on the old site of Govapuri.
Velha Goa was incorporated into the Republic of India after itsannexation in 1961, with the rest of Goa. It retains its religious significance in modern-day Goa, notably in its relations with Roman Catholicism. The Archbishop of Goa and Daman holds title as thePatriarch of the East Indies. Unlike thepatriarchs and themajor archbishops of theEastern Catholic Churches, the Patriarch of the East Indies only enjoys honorary title and is fully subject to thePope. He has a place in theLatin Church similar to thePatriarchs of Venice andLisbon. This title was conferred upon the Archbishop of Goa as part of a settlement between theHoly See and thePortuguese government concerning the link between religious and political aspects of its territories.
Old Goa contains churches including theSe Cathedral (the seat of theArchbishop of Goa), theChurch and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi, theChapel of Our Lady of the Mount, the Church of St. Caetano and, notably, theBasilica of Bom Jesus which contains the relics ofSaint Francis Xavier, who is celebrated every year on 3 December with novenas beginning on 24 November.
Places adjacent to Old Goa | |
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