Portuguese Barbarians
How It Began?
Area: Portuguese Colony of Goa, now Goa, Bharat (India)
Cause of Death: 41 methods of torture, see below
Responsible: Portuguese Government, Vatican
Death Count: Unknown, said to be in the thousands
Time Period: 1498 - 1961 (although the inquisitions finished in 1820 and there was a break 1774 to 1778)
Dharmic Faiths: Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists & Indigenous people
On his first visit Vasco Da Gamma ended up landing on the beautiful beach at Kapad, Goa after being lost at sea off the coast of Africa. Not much really happened on Vasco's first visit, he tried to impress the King with some shiny beads and realising he didnt have much to offer, he soon returned with 25 ships, thousands of soldiers and large cannons. To show his noble intentions, on the way back to Goa he burnt alive men, women and children on a ship full of 700 muslim pilgrims bound for Mecca. He laid siege to the city of Calicut, bombarding it with his cannons and when the King Zamorin sent out a messenger to negotiate, Vasco had his ears and lips cut off and sown the ears of a dog in place. King Zamorin fled to Cochin and then to Goa. Portuguese Admiral, Alfonso De Alberquerque was driven away by a local Muslim ruler, only to return 3 months again with an even larger force. On the 25th of Nov 1510, Goa was finally taken by the Portuguese.
In 1542 things would get even worse for the native Goan's, with the arrival of St Francis Xavier of the Jesuit order. He found that Hindu's were not easy to convert, given their deep rooted tradition of Dharma. Converted Hindu's would still continue their Murti Pooja, Hindu Rituals and others would even go back to Hinduism. This infuriated the vengeful Xavier and he wrote a letter dated 1546 to King John III of Rome that would have chilling repercussions on the people of Goa for centuries to come, even though he and the King had died before it was fully implemented. You can find the letter below but it was designed to paint the Hindu's of Goa as worthy of extermination and the Inquisition that resulted terrorised over 20,000 the Hindus of Goa for almost 300 years.
Mandir's were destroyed in their hundreds and once Hindu's began to pray at home, the Portuguese turned their attention to the Brahmins of Goa. Making them remove Murti's from their homes, shave their hair tufts, remove sacred thread or sandals and even to have just having a sacred Tulsi plant in front of their homes could get you locked up. This drove the peaceful Brahmins out in droves and with it the science of the Vedas left for the Portuguese to plunder. Masses of people were converted and their identities changed so that they forget their backgrounds. They were given low level jobs of servitude and plied with alcohol and beef.
The Portuguese Government, Pope or Vatican refuses to apologise or provide reparations for all the devastation that they have caused to the people of Goa.
Famous French writer, Voltaire once said:
Goa is sadly famous for its inquisition, equally contrary to humanity and commerce. The Portuguese monks made us believe that the people worshiped the devil, and it is they who have served him.
(Translated text)
Portuguese Tyrant Vasco Da Gamma
41 Point Portuguese Torture Plan
Favourite Portuguese Priests Methods Of Torturing Hindu's
- Tearing of victims tongues
- Blinding victim with hot iron spikes
- Skinning of the victim alive
- Mangling a a female victims breasts with sharp iron forks
- Quartering victims by pulling out a victims intestines and impaling
- Red hot irons inserted into victims vaginas and rectums
- Hammering stakes into a victims body
- Eyes gouged out with hot irons
- Victims hands immersed in boiling hot oil or water
- Using a device called 'turcus' to tear off a victims fingernails and then inserting needles into the wounds
- Thumbscrews used to crush fingers and toes
- Using torture boots, called 'Bootikens' to tear off a victims flesh and crush their bones
- Victims set alight with alcohol
- Water poured down victims neck using a towel, which was then jerked out ripping the bowels out with it
- Acid poured onto victims
Understandably anyone going through any one of the above would often make further confessions, just for the torture to stop. But that just led to even more torture and perhaps for the lucky ones , Death!
Try and imagine brown people in most of these pictures
Campaign Of Terror
Hindu's Under Attack
Highlights
- Inquisition is set up to stop and punish Heresy against Christianity in Asia, a place where there wasn't actually much Christianity anyway.
- Inquisition designed to punish those that had converted to Christianity but still practiced the beliefs of their former religion, it targeted Hindus, Muslims, Bene Israels, Nasranis and even New Christians, but by far the worst suffering was caused to the Hindu community (70%).
- The Sultan's Palace and the Taj Hotel are turned into Prison cells at the order of the current Pope
- Hindu's cannot be employed in Goa
- Portuguese Inquisition laws insisted that prosecutions take place behind closed doors and presented a '41 point plan' to torture Hindu's
- Hindu's that were determined to be still practicing their Hindu ways were often burned at the stake or tortured
- Traditional Hindu musical instruments banned
- Catholic Christian missionaries also burnt any books written in Sanskrit, Marathi or Konkani
- All people above 15 years had to listen to Christian preachers, punishment would await those that refused
- Use of native Konkani language made an offence
Some Key Events
- 1620 - Portuguese Government ordered that no Hindu marriages can be performed in Goa
- 1625 - The Portuguese go a step further and ban all Hindu 'Infidels' can be
- 1566 Portuguese Viceroy Anotonio de Noronha issued an order the no more Hindu Mandir's be constructed and existing Mandirs couldn't be repaired without express permission. Punishment was destruction of the temple and looting of it's treasures.
- 1577 - Surprisingly the Portuguese used earlier Hindu Temple (Mandir) laws to go on a looting rampage, causing over 300 Mandir's to be wiped out of existence.
- 1583 - Portuguese army destroyed all Mandir's in Assolna
- 1820 - The Portuguese burnt the evidence from their Inquisitions, wonder what they felt the need to hide?
As a reward for all the conversion and torture and nearly wiping out the indigenous culture Xavier was celebrated all over the world, with churches being named after him. The remains of his dead body were bought back to Goa for some reason, the Pope somehow convincing people that viewing this evil mans remains could heal them. He was then later Canonised by the Vatican in 1622. There has been claims that the remains are not even his at all, the Vatican refuses a DNA test to settle the matter once and for all. Not that any of the people who are descendants of his victims should be celebrating this man anyway.
Early Portuguese grill, this was no Nando's!
India Steps In Again - 1961
India's Patience Exhausted
- India had attempted to negotiate the return of Goa for over 14 years since she gained her independence from the hands of the British.
- Despite 'Portuguese Colonialism' being discussed at the UN for years prior and a mutual agreement reached that it was an issue Portugal had refused to cooperate, arguing that Portugals colonies were no different to Portugal herself.
- India had sent a letter to the United Nations, protested several time to the Portuguese Government and created a diplomatic mission in Lisbon, which was eventually closed to due to complete lack of cooperation from the Portuguese
- Portugal answered by increasing by increasing it's reinforcements along the Indian border
- Portuguese forces fired on Indian merchant ships and fisherman's boats and intruded on Indian soil
- 300 Portuguese soldiers invade 500 yards inside Indian border
- Reports of atrocities from Portuguese forces (10,000 - 20,000 men) committing brutalities and atrocities
- Enough was enough and just like in Bangladesh, India sent a rescue force (code named: Operation Vijay into Goa to reclaim it and free it's own people from ongoing Portuguese atrocities
- Once again our friends in the UK and USA tried to propose a UN resolution to condemn the invasion to the UN security council, but luckily the USSR vetoed the resolution and backed up India.
- Portugal then took the case to the United Nations asking India to withdraw
- Portugal attempted a military strike but our friend in Egypt, President Nasser shut the Suez Canal and blocked their route
- India however stood strong and insisted it was simply liberating it's own people and not invading or conquering. Siting Portugals brutal treatment of it's Colony.
Mr Kaul - Spokesperson for India at time of Annexation of Goa 1961
Tears of joy
Goan's Welcomed Indian Troops with Open Arms
The Goan's that had made it to India were protesting against Portuguese rule even in the 1950's and wanted to be back with their Mother, India after years of abuse, brutality and atrocities at the hands of so called 'Priests' who tortured innocent beings.
Goan Pirate Radio, Voice Of Freedom broadcaster, Libia Lobo Sardesai toured Goa in a plane fitted with loudspeakers blasting:
"Goa is free, we have been reunited with the Motherland after 450 Years!"
Indian Troops hugged and greeted by Goan's
Photo Gallery
