Latest / The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History / The Portuguese Inquisition in Goa: Faith, Fear, and Empire
Transcript
- Luna: So we've covered a lot of ground with the Portuguese in India. But I know there's a darker chapter we haven't touched on yet. Lucas: You're right. And it's one that often gets overshadowed by the Spanish Inquisition. I'm talking about the Portuguese Inquisition in Goa, which officially began in 1560. It's a story about faith, fear, and how colonial power used religion as a tool of control. Lucas: Goa was the capital of the Portuguese Estado da Índia, a bustling port where traders, mercenaries, and missionaries from across the world mingled. But by the mid-16th century, the Portuguese crown was nervous. They saw the diversity of religions — Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and a growing number of converts — as a threat to their authority. Luna: So they brought in the Inquisition to enforce Catholic orthodoxy. Lucas: Exactly. The Inquisition wasn't just about punishing heretics. It was a systematic campaign to eradicate any form of religious dissent. They targeted 'New Christians' — Jews and Muslims who had converted, often under pressure — as well as Hindus who refused to convert. And they went after anyone practicing their old faith in secret. Lucas: One of the most vocal advocates for the Inquisition was Francis Xavier, the Jesuit missionary who spent years in Asia. He wrote letters back to Portugal complaining about the lax morals of the colonists and the persistence of 'pagan' practices. He argued that only a formal Inquisition could root out the 'contagion'. Luna: So Xavier, the saint, was calling for an inquisition? Lucas: He was. It's a side of him that doesn't get much attention. He died in 1552, eight years before the Inquisition actually began, but his letters were instrumental in convincing King John III to establish it. The first Inquisitor-General arrived in Goa in 1560, and the tribunals started almost immediately. Lucas: The Inquisition had wide powers. They could arrest anyone on suspicion of heresy, seize their property, and torture confessions. The trials were held in secret, and the accused often had no idea who their accusers were. The punishment could be anything from public penance to death by burning. Luna: How many people were actually executed? Lucas: That's hard to say precisely, because many records were destroyed when the Inquisition was finally abolished in 1812. But historians estimate that over its 250-year history, the Goa Inquisition tried about 16,000 cases and executed somewhere between 500 and 1,000 people. That's fewer than the Spanish Inquisition, but still a staggering number for a small colony. Lucas: The Inquisition didn't just go after individuals. It targeted entire communities. In 1567, the tribunal ordered the destruction of all Hindu temples in Portuguese territories. Hundreds were demolished, and their stones were used to build churches. The great temple of Mangeshi was burned to the ground, though it was later rebuilt outside Portuguese control. Luna: So the physical landscape was remade in the image of Catholicism. Lucas: Completely. And it wasn't just temples. The Inquisition banned Hindu festivals, burned sacred texts, and prohibited the use of Sanskrit in public. Anyone caught performing a Hindu wedding or funeral could be arrested. The goal was to erase public religious life of anything non-Christian. Lucas: But the Inquisition also targeted converts. Many Indians had converted to Christianity for practical reasons — to gain favor with the Portuguese, to escape taxes, or to advance in society. But they often continued to practice their old rituals in private. The Inquisition called these people 'crypto-Hindus' or 'crypto-Muslims'. Luna: So they were caught between two worlds. Lucas: Yes, and it was a dangerous place to be. Inquisition records are full of cases where a neighbor or a servant reported someone for maintaining a Hindu shrine at home or for refusing to eat pork or beef. One famous case is that of a Brahmin scribe named Camotim, who was arrested in 1563 for teaching Sanskrit to his children. He was tortured, forced to confess, and sentenced to five years of hard labor on a galley. Lucas: Another case involved a Hindu mystic named Cunha, who claimed to have visions. The Inquisition accused him of being possessed by a demon. He was tried, found guilty, and burned at the stake in a public auto-da-fé in 1573. The auto-da-fé was a spectacle — everyone was required to attend, and the condemned would be paraded through the streets in yellow robes called sanbenitos. Luna: It sounds terrifying. Was there any resistance? Lucas: There was. But it was mostly passive. Hindus fled Portuguese territory to neighboring kingdoms like the Vijayanagara Empire or the Maratha territories. Some converts secretly maintained their traditions, passing them down through families. There were also occasional acts of defiance, like the destruction of a church in 1583 by a group of Hindus in Salcete, but these were brutally suppressed. Lucas: The Inquisition also had a lasting impact on Goan society. It created a culture of fear and mistrust, where people were afraid to speak openly about their beliefs. It also contributed to the development of a unique Goan Catholic identity, which blended Portuguese Catholicism with local customs — but always with an undercurrent of secrecy. Luna: So the Inquisition shaped Goan Christianity in ways that persist today. Lucas: Absolutely. The Goa Inquisition is a reminder that colonialism wasn't just about economic exploitation or military conquest. It was also about cultural and religious erasure, and about the power to define what was 'acceptable' belief. And while the Inquisition was formally abolished in 1812, its legacy of trauma and resistance still echoes in the memories of Goan families. Lucas: I think it's important to remember that figures like Francis Xavier, who are celebrated as saints, were also complicit in systems of violence. And that the story of colonialism is full of these uncomfortable contradictions. Luna: It really makes you question the narrative of 'civilizing missions'. Lucas: Exactly. The Portuguese Inquisition in Goa is a chapter that forces us to confront the darker side of the encounter between Europe and the rest of the world.