The Novas Conquistas are a group of seven administrative districts or concelho

Concelho

Concelho , in the Portuguese language, is the word municipality, when referring to the territory. The word município is used when municipality means the organ of State...

s of mainland Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, which were added onto Goa at a comparatively later date than the original three concelhos that make up the Velhas Conquistas

Velhas Conquistas

The Velhas Conquistas or “Old Conquests” are a group of four concelhos or administrative districts in Goa which were incorporated into Portuguese India in the 16th century...

.

In writing postal addresses, this is abbreviated N.C.

History

In December 1764, the king of Mysore, Hyder Ali

Hyder Ali

Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...

 sent his general, Fazalullah Khan northward into Soonda via Bednur, where landowners who resisted his administration met severe retribution. Fearing capture, the Raja of Soonda fled to Goa, surrendering his territories below the Western Ghats

Western Ghats

The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...

 to the Portuguese, in exchange for sanctuary and a fixed annual stipend. The lower territories, including the port of Sadashivgad

Sadashivgad

Sadashivgad is a fort located in Karwar, Uttara Kannada district, in the state of Karnataka in India. Significant and picturesque, the fort is now a popular tourist destination located by the Kali river bridge, which has been built at the confluence of the river and the Arabian Sea...

 near Karwar

Karwar

Karwar is the administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, India. It is a seaside town situated on the banks of the Kali river which is on the west coast of the Indian peninsula. The town lies about 15 kilometres south of the Karnataka–Goa border and 519 km north-west...

, were absorbed into the Kingdom of Mysore

Kingdom of Mysore

The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...

.

These new areas granted by the Raja of Soonda were incorporated into Portuguese Goa.

Later in 1783 Kingdom of Sawantwadi, in order to get help of Portuguese against Kolhapur, ceded some parts of Pernem, Bicholim and Sattari to Portuguese. Remaining part of Pernem (including Terekhol Fort) was ceded in 1788 and thus came to be known as the Novas Conquistas. (New Conquests). Unlike the Velhas Conquistas, these areas remained predominantly Hindu (hence the region boasts of considerable Konkan Maratha

Konkan Maratha

Konkan Maratha or Konkana are Konkani-speaking Hindus claiming Kshatriya status, with their ancestral homes in Karwar, Ankola, and Goa with surnames such as Shinde/Kadams,Naik/Nayak, Rane, Kadam, Powar/Pawar, Savant/Sawant, Khalwadekar, Gaonkar, Khanvilkar, Salunke, Desai/Dessai, Phal, Sail,...

 populace unlike the V.C

Velhas Conquistas

The Velhas Conquistas or “Old Conquests” are a group of four concelhos or administrative districts in Goa which were incorporated into Portuguese India in the 16th century...

), as the Portuguese had lost their zeal for Christianization

Christianization

The historical phenomenon of Christianization is the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once...

.

The seven concelhos of the Novas Conquistas are Pernem

Pernem

Pernem is a northmost administrative region or Taluka in North Goa. It is also the name of the town of Pernem, which is its headquarters. It has a Municipal Council...

, Bicholim

Bicholim

Bicholim is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a town in the territory of Goa, and the headquarters of the concelho of the same name; the Concelho of Bicholim, located in the north-east quarter is one of the seven that make up the Novas...

, Satari, Ponda (or Antruz), Sanguem

Sanguem

Sanguem is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa.Notable landmarks include the Sagameshwar Temple, Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park and the Salaulim Dam.-Geography:...

, Quepem

Quepem

Quepem is a town and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa.The town is the administrative capital for the Quepem district. Curchorem and Sanvordem are the a major towns located in the Quepem District.-Geography:...

 and Canacona

Canacona

Canacona is an administrative region in south Goa, in India.Canacona is one of the five talukas that constitute the South Goa district. It is bounded on the north by the taluka of Quepem, on the northeast by Sanguem, on the south by the state of Karnataka, and on the west by the Arabian Sea...

.