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| Portuguese colony and Goa Inquisition, India anskritimagazine.com |
Impact of the Goa Inquisition on Native Indian Christians
The Goa Inquisition (1560–1812) was a dark chapter in Indian history, marked by severe repression and persecution of native Indian Christians under Portuguese rule. The Inquisition aimed to enforce strict Catholic orthodoxy, suppress indigenous customs, and root out any practices considered heretical or connected to pre-Christian traditions. It left a lasting legacy of fear and trauma, deeply affecting the religious and cultural identity of the Goan Christian community.
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| Goa, India. indiafacts.org.in |
Cultural and Social Repression
The Inquisition’s primary objective was to eradicate any local customs that blended Indian and Christian traditions. Native Indian Christians, especially those recently converted, were forbidden from wearing traditional clothing such as sarees or dhotis, and women could not wear the mangalsutra or apply a bindi. Such acts were labeled as remnants of Hindu practices and were punishable by public shaming or imprisonment. The Portuguese authorities also imposed the Portuguese language in schools and churches, banning the use of Konkani or Marathi in religious services. Priests and Jesuits who dared to preach or conduct prayers in local languages were punished harshly, demonstrating the Portuguese’s strict control over religious expression.
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| Fr. Francis Xavier, introduced Inquisition in Goa, India.lobomarco. wordpress.com |
Suppression of Syncretic Practices
Native Christians often maintained elements of their pre-Christian heritage, such as keeping home shrines, celebrating local festivals, or observing specific rituals. The Inquisition saw these acts as “crypto-Hinduism” or “crypto-Islam” and responded with severe measures. Any practice that deviated from strict Catholic norms could lead to accusations of heresy, resulting in forced confessions, imprisonment, or worse. Manuscripts and religious texts in local languages were confiscated and burned, erasing much of the region’s literary and cultural heritage. Even minor actions, like lighting lamps during certain festivals or using native symbols in worship, were criminalized, leaving the native Christians under constant suspicion and fear.
Ban on Indigenous Customs and Rituals
The Inquisition outlawed a range of local customs, believing them to be incompatible with Catholic beliefs. Annual religious pilgrimages like the pada yatra, where devotees would walk long distances barefoot, were prohibited. Similarly, Christians were barred from offering flower garlands to church icons or performing acts of prostration, a form of showing respect and submission common in Indian culture. The Portuguese also banned native marriage customs that involved the use of traditional attire, jewelry, and rituals. Even tonsuring a baby’s head for health and welfare, a practice considered auspicious in Hinduism, was forbidden in churches. Failure to comply led to public humiliation and sometimes severe penalties.
Brutal Punishments and Torture
The Inquisition employed torture and brutal punishments to extract confessions and enforce conformity. Suspected heretics were subjected to physical torture using devices like the rack and waterboarding. Many endured long imprisonments in squalid conditions without trial. Public ceremonies called auto-da-fé, or “acts of faith,” were common, where victims were paraded before crowds and made to confess their supposed sins. The most extreme punishment was execution by burning at the stake, used for those found guilty of severe heresy.
Lasting Legacy of Fear and Displacement
The terror of the Goa Inquisition forced thousands of native Christians to flee Portuguese-controlled territories, seeking refuge in safer regions like Canara. This period left a legacy of fear and trauma, disrupting the community’s religious and cultural identity and leaving deep scars that persisted for generatioalomon,
Salomon, H. P. and Sassoon, I. S. D., in Saraiva, Antonio Jose. The Marrano Factory. The Portuguese Inquisition and Its New Christians, 1536–1765 (Brill, 2001), pp. 345–7.
https://www.navrangindia.in/2015/02/goa-inquisition-india-native-christians.html
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