Old Goa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Churches and Convents of Goa* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  India |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv, vi |
| Reference | 234 |
| Region** | Asia-Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1986 (10th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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Old Goa or Velha Goa ("Velha" means old in Portuguese) is a historical city in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. The city was constructed by the Bijapur Sultanate in the 15th century, and served as capital of Portuguese India from the 16th century until its abandonment in the 18th century. The remains of the city are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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[edit] History
The city was founded in the 15th century as a port on the banks of the Mandovi river by the rulers of the Bijapur Sultanate. The city was built to replace Govapuri, which lay a few kilometres to the south and had been used as a port by the Kadamba and Vijayanagar kings. Old Goa was the second capital of Bijapur under the rule of Adil Shah. It was surrounded by a moat and contained the Shah's palace, and his mosques and temples. The city was captured by the Portuguese, and was under Portuguese rule from 1510 as the administrative seat of Portuguese India. The Viceroy's residence was transferred in 1759 to the future capital, Panaji (then Pangim), at the time a village about 9 kilometres to its west.
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 the palace of Adil Shah to Panaji. In 1835 after religious suppression the city was virtually deserted. It continued to be the de jure capital of Gôa until 1843, when the capital was then shifted to Panaji (Ponnjê in Konkani). The abandoned city came to be known as "Velha Goa" (in Portuguese, 'Old Goa'), to distinguish it from Goa Velha (also meaning "Old Goa"), which was the Portuguese name for the town located on the old site of Govapuri.
Velha Goa was incorporated into the Republic of India in 1961, together with the rest of Goa.
[edit] Churches of old Goa
Old Goa contains churches affiliated to various congregations, including the Se Cathedral (the seat of the Archbishop of Goa), the church of St Francis of Assisi, the church of S. Caetano, and notably, the Basilica of Bom Jesus which contains the incorruptible body of Saint Francis Xavier
[edit] See also
[edit] Gallery
 Velha Goa church |
 Basilica of Bom Jesus |
[edit] External links
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