Vijayanagara Empire & Goa

• Vijayanagara was a Hindu kingdom founded in 1336 by brothers Hukka and Bukka
• The Bahmani kingdom was established a decade later
• These two kingdoms fought endless wars in the Deccan, influencing Goa
• Both kingdoms captured Goa
• Madhav Mantri and Harihara Raya II of the Vijayanagara empire recaptured Chandrapur, defeating the Bahamani Kingdom
• The folk song and dance, Musal-khel of Chandor commemorates this event
• Vijaynagara rulers were known as ‘ray’ or ‘rai'
• Governors with powers were sent from Hampi to outlying provinces like Goa
• The rais of Vijaynagar wanted the port of Goa for its lucrative horse trade
• Madhav Mantri is credited for re-establishing the Saptakoteshwar linga at Narva-Diwar
• The tradition of Veerbhadra performed in Ponda, Sankhlim, and Sanguem may be the legacy of the Vijaynagara rulers
• By 1391, Ponda, Pednem, Bicholim, and Sankhlim were added to the Vijaynagara Empire
• Around 1403/1404, Mhai Sinai Wagle from Kunkalye village in Antruz (Ponda) was given responsibilities as an administrator of the Konkan and as the senapati
• During King Devraya I's reign, at least five governors administrated Goa
• The Vijaynagar rulers had matrimonial relations with their vassals, the kings of Antruz, or Soundekars
• The Shivtirth palace and Nageshi temple are a testimony of the Soundekar legacy in Goa
• Relics of the Vijaynagara era can be viewed within the precincts of the Nageshi temple
• A Jain basti is evidence of Jainism in the region
• Administration in Goa was streamlined along the lines of the Vijaynagara system in the Deccan
• Account keepers were called Nadkarnis, which became a popular surname in Goa
• Old Goa (Ela) and Raibandar emerged as flourishing ports during this period

Back to Bahamani Control

• In 1472, the Prime minister of the Bahmani Kingdom Mahmud Gawan brought Goa under his control
• The Bahmanis used Persian as their official language
• After Muhammud Gawan's death, the Bahamani Empire declined
• The Adil Shahi dynasty took control of Goa in 1498

The Adil Shahi Dynasty Rules Goa

• Yusuf Adil Khan, the founder of the Adil Shahi dynasty and Kingdom of Bijapur, ruled Goa from 1498 to 1510
• He was a Turk
• He was saved from death as a child by a Queen Mother who sent him to Persia
• Yusuf was educated at Sava in Persia and sold as a slave to Mahmud Gawan
• Yusuf proved himself clever and skillful, rising to become Governor of some provinces
• After Gawan's death, Yusuf became Governor of Bijapur
• In Portuguese records, he was addressed as the Hidalcão and Sabaio
• Yusuf Adil Khan established himself as a semi-independent ruler at Bijapur
• In 1489, he declared independence from the Bahmani Kingdom and founded the Adilshahi dynasty
• He took the title of 'Shah', meaning king in Persian
• By 1498, he made Goa part of his kingdom
• He called on the Bahmani Governor of Goa, Mallik-Ein-Ool-Mulk Gilani, to owe allegiance to him

Goa Under the Adil Shah

• Yusuf Adil Shah made Ella (Old Goa) his headquarters, fortifying it with a strong wall
• Adil Shahi heritage survives at some locations in Goa
• He built an arsenal, a gunpowder factory, and mosques
• Yusuf Adil Shah constructed a summer palace-cum-fortress in Panaji around 1500
• Until 2005, it served as the Secretariat and the Goa Legislative Assembly
• There was an underground tunnel leading to the zennanakhana (harem) of the Adilshah
• Goa grew prosperous under the Adil Shah
• Old Goa or Ella became the leading center of trade and commerce
• Import duties on horses from Ormuz (Muscat) brought in massive revenue
• Ships from Mecca, Aden, Ormuz, Malabar, and Cambay gathered at this port
• Yusuf Adil Shah was tolerant towards his subjects, even in Bijapur
• He appointed Hindus to high offices based on their merit
• He continued the reforms introduced by Bahmani Prime Minister Mahmud Gawan
• Care was taken to maintain the age-old 'gaunkaris' of Goa
• Yusuf Adil Shah divided each district into sub-divisions
• They bore semblance to Persian terms like 'pargana', 'mahal', and 'taluka'
• A popular Persian word used in Goa is 'taluka'
• Similarly, in the Mandrem village of Pednem mahal, one finds reference to manj or madhla manj, signifying local administrative units
• Yusuf Adilshah strengthened his power by bestowing civil and military authority to Hindu landlords
• He awarded them titles like ‘Sardesai'
• Many Saraswats were awarded the title of the 'Sardesai'
• The ruler began construction of a dockyard at Ella (Old Goa) with the help of the Sultan of Egypt
• The land tax raised by the Adil Shah was not well-received by some Hindu landlords in Goa
• Mhalu Pai Vernekar raised the banner of revolt against the Sultan in 1510
• This proved to be a watershed event in history, a prelude to the European colonization of Goa