The State of India, formally, Estado da Índia Portuguesa, and commonly Portuguese India,
was a colonial state of the Portuguese Empire, six years after the discovery of a sea route
between Portugal and India, to serve as the plenipotentiary governing body of a string
of Portuguese fortresses and colonies overseas. The first viceroy was Francisco de Almeida,
who established his headquarters in Cochin. Subsequent Portuguese governors were not always
of viceroy rank. After 1510, the capital of the Portuguese viceroyalty was transferred
to Goa. Until the 18th Century, the Portuguese governor in Goa had authority over all Portuguese
possessions in the Indian Ocean, from southern Africa to southeast Asia. In 1752 Mozambique
got its own separate government and in 1844 the Portuguese Government of India stopped
administering the territory of Macau, Solor and Timor, and its authority was confined
to the colonial holdings on the Malabar coast of India.
At the time of British India's independence in 1947, Portuguese India was subdivided into
three districts located on India's western coast: Goa; Daman which included the inland
enclaves of Dadra and Nagar Haveli; and Diu. The territories of Portuguese India were sometimes
referred to collectively as Goa. Portugal lost effective control of the enclaves of
Dadra and Nagar Haveli in 1954, and finally the rest of the overseas territory in December
1961, when it was taken by India after military action.
Early history
Vasco da Gama lands in India The first Portuguese encounter with India
was on 20 May 1498 when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on Malabar Coast. Anchored off the
coast of Calicut, the Portuguese invited native fishermen on board and immediately brought
some Indian items. One Portuguese accompanied the fishermen to the port and met with a Tunisian
Muslim. On the advice of this man, Gama sent a couple of his men to Ponnani to meet with
ruler of Calicut, the Zamorin. Over the objections of Arab merchants, Gama managed to secure
a letter of concession for trading rights from the Zamorin, Calicut's Hindu ruler. But,
the Portuguese were unable to pay the prescribed customs duties and price of his goods in gold.
Later Calicut officials temporarily detained Gama's Portuguese agents as security for payment.
This, however, annoyed Gama, who carried a few natives and sixteen fishermen with him
by force. Nevertheless, Gama's expedition was successful
beyond all reasonable expectation, bringing in cargo that was sixty times the cost of
the expedition. Pedro Álvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral sailed to India, officially discovering Brazil on the way, to trade for
pepper and other spices, negotiating and establishing a factory at Calicut, where he arrived on
13 September 1500. Matters worsened when the Portuguese factory at Calicut was attacked
by surprise by the locals, resulting in the death of more than fifty Portuguese. Cabral
was outraged by the attack on the factory and seized ten Arab merchant ships anchored
in the harbour, killing about six hundred of their crew and confiscating their cargo
before burning the ships. Cabral also ordered his ships to bombard Calicut for an entire
day in retaliation for the violation of the agreement. In Cochin and Cannanore Cabral
succeeded in making advantageous treaties with the local rulers. Cabral started the
return voyage on 16 January 1501 and arrived in Portugal with only 4 of 13 ships on 23
June 1501. Vasco da Gama sailed to India for a second
time with 15 ships and 800 men, arriving at Calicut on 30 October 1502, where the ruler
was willing to sign a treaty. Gama this time made a call to expel all Muslims from Calicut
which was vehemently turned down. He bombarded the city and captured several rice vessels.
He returned to Portugal in September 1503. The Portuguese built the Pulicat fort in 1502,
with the help of the Vijayanagar ruler. Francisco de Almeida
On 25 March 1505, Francisco de Almeida was appointed Viceroy of India, on the condition
that he would set up four forts on the southwestern Indian coast: at Anjediva Island, Cannanore,
Cochin and Quilon. Francisco de Almeida left Portugal with a fleet of 22 vessels with 1,500
men.
On 13 September, Francisco de Almeida reached Anjadip Island, where he immediately started
the construction of Fort Anjediva. On 23 October, with the permission of the friendly ruler
of Cannanore, he started building St. Angelo Fort at Cannanore, leaving Lourenço de Brito
in charge with 150 men and two ships. Francisco de Almeida then reached Cochin in
31 October 1505 with only 8 vessels left. There he learned that the Portuguese traders
at Quilon had been killed. He decided to send his son Lourenço de Almeida with 6 ships,
who destroyed 27 Calicut vessels in the harbour of Quilon. Almeida took up residence in Cochin.
He strengthened the Portuguese fortifications of Fort Manuel on Cochin.
The Zamorin prepared a large fleet of 200 ships to oppose the Portuguese, but in March
1506 Lourenço de Almeida was victorious in a sea battle at the entrance to the harbour
of Cannanore, the Battle of Cannanore, an important setback for the fleet of the Zamorin.
Thereupon Lourenço de Almeida explored the coastal waters southwards to Colombo, in what
is now Sri Lanka. In Cannanore, however, a new ruler, hostile to the Portuguese and friendly
with the Zamorin, attacked the Portuguese garrison, leading to the Siege of Cannanore.
In 1507 Almeida's mission was strengthened by the arrival of Tristão da Cunha's squadron.
Afonso de Albuquerque's squadron had, however, split from that of Cunha off East Africa and
was independently conquering territories in the Persian Gulf to the west.
In March 1508 a Portuguese squadron under command of Lourenço de Almeida was attacked
by a combined Mameluk Egyptian and Gujarat Sultanate fleet at Chaul and Dabul respectively,
led by admirals Mirocem and Meliqueaz in the Battle of Chaul. Lourenço de Almeida lost
his life after a fierce fight in this battle. Mamluk-Indian resistance was, however, to
be decisively defeated at the Battle of Diu. Afonso de Albuquerque and later governors
In the year 1509, Afonso de Albuquerque was appointed the second governor of the Portuguese
possessions in the East. A new fleet under Marshal Fernão Coutinho arrived with specific
instructions to destroy the power of Zamorin's of Calicut. The Zamorin's palace was captured
and destroyed and the city was set on fire. But the king's forces rallied fast to kill
Marshal Coutinho and wounded Albuquerque. Albuquerque nevertheless was clever enough
to patch up his quarrel and entered into a treaty with the Zamorin in 1513 to protect
Portuguese interests in Malabar. Hostilities were renewed when the Portuguese attempted
to assassinate the Zamorin sometime between 1515 and 1518. In 1510, Afonso de Albuquerque
defeated the Bijapur sultans with the help of Timayya, on behalf of the Hindu Vijayanagara
Empire, leading to the establishment of a permanent settlement in Velha Goa. The Southern
Province, also known simply as Goa, was the headquarters of Portuguese India, and seat
of the Portuguese viceroy who governed the Portuguese possessions in Asia.
There were Portuguese settlements in and around Mylapore. The Luz Church in Mylapore, Madras
was the first church that the Portuguese built in Madras in 1516. Later in 1522, the São
Tomé church was built on the ruins of the original Kapaleeswarar Temple that was destroyed
by the Portuguese. The Portuguese acquired several territories
from the Sultans of Gujarat: Daman; Salsette, Bombay, and Baçaim; and Diu.
These possessions became the Northern Province of Portuguese India, which extended almost
100 km along the coast from Daman to Chaul, and in places 30–50 km inland. The province
was ruled from the fortress-town of Baçaim. In 1526, under the viceroyship of Lopo Vaz
de Sampaio, the Portuguese took possession of Mangalore. The territory included parts
of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka state, and Kasaragod in Kerala state.. Mangalore
was named the islands El Padron de Santa Maria; later came to be known as St Mary's Islands.
In 1640, the Keladi Nayaka kingdom defeated the Portuguese.
From the 16th century, the Portuguese meddled in the church affairs of the Syrian Christians
of Malabar. The Udayamperoor Synod was a major attempt by the Portuguese Archbishop Menezes
to Latinize the Syrian rite. Later in 1653, Coonan Cross Oath led to the division of the
local church into Syrian Catholics and Syrian Christians.
Bombay was given to Britain in 1661 as part of the Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza's
dowry to Charles II of England. Most of the Northern Province was lost to the Marathas
of the Maratha Empire in 1739, and Portugal acquired Dadra and Nagar Haveli in 1779.
In 1843 the capital was shifted to Panjim, then renamed "Nova Goa", when it officially
became the administrative seat of Portuguese India, replacing the city of Velha Goa, although
the Viceroys lived there already since 1 December 1759. Before moving to the city, the viceroy
remodelled the fortress of Adil Khan, transforming it into a palace.
The Portuguese also shipped over many Orfãs del Rei to Portuguese colonies in India, Goa
in particular. Orfãs del Rei literally translates to "Orphans of the King", and they were Portuguese
girl orphans sent to overseas colonies to marry either Portuguese settlers or natives
with high status. Thus there are Portuguese footprints all over
the western and eastern coasts of India, though Goa became the capital of Portuguese Goa from
1530 onwards until the annexation of Goa proper and the entire Estado da Índia Portuguesa,
and its merger with the Indian Union in 1961. After India's independence
After India's independence from the British in 1947, Portugal refused to accede to India's
request to relinquish control of its Indian possessions.
On 24 July 1954 an organisation called "The United Front of Goans" took control of the
enclave of Dadra. The remaining territory of Nagar Haveli was seized by the Azad Gomantak
Dal on 2 August 1954. The decision given by the International Court of Justice at The
Hague, regarding access to Dadra and Nagar Haveli, was an impasse.
From 1954, peaceful Satyagrahis attempts from outside Goa at forcing the Portuguese to leave
Goa were brutally suppressed. Many revolts were quelled by the use of force and leaders
eliminated or jailed. As a result, India closed its consulate and imposed an economic embargo
against the territories of Portuguese Goa. The Indian Government adopted a "wait and
watch" attitude from 1955 to 1961 with numerous representations to the Portuguese Salazar
regime and attempts to highlight the issue before the international community.
To facilitate the transport of people and goods to and from the Indian enclaves, the
Portuguese established an airline, Transportes Aéreos da Índia Portuguesa, and airports
at Goa, Daman and Diu. Eventually, in December 1961, India militarily
invaded Goa, Daman and Diu, where the Portuguese put up a futile fight. Portuguese armed forces
had been instructed to either defeat the invaders or die. Only meager resistance was offered
due to the Portuguese army's poor firepower and size, against a fully armed Indian force
of over 30,000 with full air and naval support. The Governor of Portuguese India signed the
Instrument of Surrender on 19 December 1961, ending 450 years of Portuguese rule in India.
Post-annexation Status of the new territories
Dadra and Nagar Haveli existed as a de facto independent entity from its independence in
1954 until its merger with the Republic of India in 1961.
Following the annexation of Goa, Daman and Diu, the new territories became Union Territories
within the Indian Union, now separately as Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Goa, Daman and
Diu. Maj. Gen. K. P. Candeth was declared as military governor of Goa, Daman and Diu.
Goa's first general elections were held in 1963.
In 1967 a referendum was conducted where voters decided whether to merge Goa into the neighbouring
state of Maharashtra. The anti-merger faction won, but full statehood was not conferred
immediately. On 30 May 1987 Goa became the 25th state of the Indian Union. Daman and
Diu was separated from Goa and continues to be administered as a Union Territory.
The most drastic changes in Portuguese India after 1961 were the introduction of democratic
elections, as well as the replacement of Portuguese with English as the general language of government
and education. However the Indians allowed certain Portuguese institutions to continue
unchanged. Amongst these were the land ownership system of the comunidade, where land was held
by the community and was then leased out to individuals. The Indian government left the
Portuguese civil code unchanged in Goa, with the result that Goa today remains the only
state in India with a common civil code that does not depend on religion.
Citizenship The Citizenship Act of 1955 granted the government
of India the authority to define citizenship in the Indian union. In exercise of its powers,
the government passed the Goa, Daman and Diu Order, 1962 on 28 March 1962 conferring Indian
citizenship on all persons born on or before 20 December 1961 in Goa, Daman and Diu.
Indo-Portuguese relations The Salazar regime in Portugal refused to
recognise Indian sovereignty over the annexed territories, which continued to be represented
in Portugal's National Assembly until 1974. Following the Carnation Revolution that year,
the new government in Lisbon restored diplomatic relations with India, and recognised Indian
sovereignty over Goa, Daman and Diu. Portugal continued to give the citizens of Portuguese
India automatic citizenship. Postage stamps and postal history
Early postal history of the colony is obscure, but regular mail is known to have been exchanged
with Lisbon from 1825 on. Portugal had a postal convention with Great Britain, so much mail
was probably routed through Bombay and carried on British packets. Portuguese postmarks are
known from 1854, when a post office was opened in Goa. An extraterritorial British post office
also was located in Damaun, selling British Indian postage stamps, between 1854 and November
1883. British Indian stamps were available from the Portuguese post office at Goa, as
well, from 1854 until 1877. A Portuguese post office opened at Diu in 1880.
The first postage stamps of Portuguese India were issued 1 October 1871 for local use.
These were issued for local use within the colony. Portugal had a postal convention with
Great Britain, so mail was routed through Bombay and carried on British packets. Stamps
of British India were required for overseas mail.
The design of the 1871 stamps simply consisted of a denomination in the centre, with an oval
band containing the inscriptions "SERVIÇO POSTAL" and "INDIA POST". In 1877, Portugal
included India in its standard "crown" issue and from 1886 on, the pattern of regular stamp
issues followed closely that of the other Portuguese colonies, the main exception being
a series of surcharges in 1912 produced by perforating existing stamps vertically through
the middle and overprinting a new value on each side.
During the World War I Portugal joined the Allies, which resulted in confiscating 6 merchant
vessels anchored in Marmugao port in Goa. The sailors were provided the status of "War
Internees" and were allowed to correspond with their families via postal mail system,
with a caveat of censorship of mails, both ways. These "War Internee" covers bearing
censorship marks of Portuguese and French military authorities are considered Portuguese
India philatelists' delight. The last regular issue for Portuguese India
was on 25 June 1960, for the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator.
Stamps of India were first used 29 December 1961, although the old stamps were accepted
until 5 January 1962. Portugal continued to issue stamps for the lost colony but none
were offered for sale in the colony's post offices, so they are not considered valid
stamps. Dual franking was tolerated from 22 December
1961 until 4 January 1962. Colonial postmarks were tolerated until May 1962. Portuguese
India stamps were available for sale up to 28 December, thus the period up to 4 January
was an attempt to use up stocks in private hands. After 4 January, Portuguese India stamps
were completely invalid or demonetised. Outstanding stocks of charity tax stamps were
overprinted for fiscal use, but not used. Portuguese India fiscals were overprinted
in early 1962 in paisa and rupees and extensively used.
Portuguese India philately started with combination covers and ended with combination covers.
See also
Portuguese Empire Estado Novo
List of colonial heads of Portuguese India Portuguese Indian Rupia
Portuguese Indian Escudo Goa liberation movement
Cuncolim Revolt
References
Further reading Andrada. The Life of Dom John de Castro: The
Fourth Vice Roy of India. Jacinto Freire de Andrada. Translated into English by Peter
Wyche.. Henry Herrington, New Exchange, London. Facsimile edition AES Reprint, New Delhi.
ISBN 81-206-0900-X. External links
ColonialVoyage.com – History of the Portuguese and the Dutch in Ceylon, India, Malacca, Bengal,
Formosa, Africa, Brazil.