The Goa Inquisition (book)
Encyclopedia
The Goa Inquisition, Being a Quatercentenary Commemoration Study of the Inquisition in India is a book published by Bombay University Press and authored by Indian historian Anant Priolkar
. It provides the most comprehensive account of the Goa Inquisition
held by Portuguese colonialists in Goa
, India
in the 16th century and details the wholesale massacres of Hindus, Muslims, Indian Jews
and non-Catholic
Indian Christians
by the Portuguese inquisitors.
and Portuguese Inquisition
in Europe providing background material and context that would lead to the inquisition in India. It explains the anti-Semitic hatred developed for Marranos Jewish people in Europe by the Inquisitors that would lead them to slaughter the Indian Jews
during the Goa Inquisition
. Chapter 3 begins with the advent of the Inquisition in India, with discussion of Dr. Dellon's account of the inquisition in Chapter 4.The chapters describe the wars that led to the establishment of Portuguese colonial rule in Goa
, and the massacres of Hindus and Muslims during the war, typically involving mass-murders in villages,mass drownings of Muslims in rivers and other similar acts.Successive chapters in Part I describe the forced conversion of Hindus to Christianity by the Inquisition, the evolution of the policy of Christian persecution in India. The book details the organization and procedures of the Inquisition and the anti-Hindu
laws that were passed in Goa during the inquisition banning Hindu religious ceremonies and customs, as well as reducing the Status of Hindus into second-class citizens by banning them from public gatherings and so on. The 9th chapter discusses the various methods of torture used on Hindus, Muslims and Jews by the Inquisition, such as burning by Sulphur, Water-torture, rape, the use of pulleys to stretch victims and the "strappado" method of torture. Chapter 10 discusses the Jurisdiction and Authority of the Inquisition of Goa.
Part II discusses the accounts of the Inquisition given by Dellon and Buchanan in two separate chapters.
from Portuguese occupation by India, so it "reopened old wounds, recalling the dismal record of European religious intolerance" in India "through the most pitiless inquisition of Christendom". Priolkar did not exaggerate the intolerant zeal of the Christian Missionaries
, nor did he try to understand it.
Anant Priolkar
-Works:* The Printing Press in India: Its Beginnings and Early Development * The Goa Inquisition *'Granthik Marathi Bhashya Ani Kokani Boli .-References:...
. It provides the most comprehensive account of the Goa Inquisition
Goa Inquisition
The Goa Inquisition was the office of the Inquisition acting in the Indian state of Goa and the rest of the Portuguese empire in Asia. It was established in 1560, briefly suppressed from 1774–1778, and finally abolished in 1812. The Goan Inquisition is considered a blot on the history of...
held by Portuguese colonialists in 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...
in the 16th century and details the wholesale massacres of Hindus, Muslims, Indian Jews
Indian Jews
The history of the Jews in India reaches back to ancient times.Indian Jews are a religious minority of India. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history. The better-established ancient communities have assimilated a large number of local traditions through...
and non-Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Indian Christians
Christianity in India
Christianity is India's third-largest religion, with approximately 24 million followers, constituting 2.3% of India's population. The works of scholars and Eastern Christian writings and 14th century Portuguese missionaries created an illusion to convert Indians that Christianity was introduced to...
by the Portuguese inquisitors.
Details
The book is divided into two parts.Part I, titled "The Goa Inquisition", is divided into ten chapters. The first two chapters detail the Spanish InquisitionSpanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
and Portuguese Inquisition
Portuguese Inquisition
The Portuguese Inquisition was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of the King of Portugal, João III. Manuel I had asked for the installation of the Inquisition in 1515 to fulfill the commitment of marriage with Maria of Aragon, but it was only after his death that the Pope...
in Europe providing background material and context that would lead to the inquisition in India. It explains the anti-Semitic hatred developed for Marranos Jewish people in Europe by the Inquisitors that would lead them to slaughter the Indian Jews
Indian Jews
The history of the Jews in India reaches back to ancient times.Indian Jews are a religious minority of India. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history. The better-established ancient communities have assimilated a large number of local traditions through...
during the Goa Inquisition
Goa Inquisition
The Goa Inquisition was the office of the Inquisition acting in the Indian state of Goa and the rest of the Portuguese empire in Asia. It was established in 1560, briefly suppressed from 1774–1778, and finally abolished in 1812. The Goan Inquisition is considered a blot on the history of...
. Chapter 3 begins with the advent of the Inquisition in India, with discussion of Dr. Dellon's account of the inquisition in Chapter 4.The chapters describe the wars that led to the establishment of Portuguese colonial rule in 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...
, and the massacres of Hindus and Muslims during the war, typically involving mass-murders in villages,mass drownings of Muslims in rivers and other similar acts.Successive chapters in Part I describe the forced conversion of Hindus to Christianity by the Inquisition, the evolution of the policy of Christian persecution in India. The book details the organization and procedures of the Inquisition and the anti-Hindu
Anti-Hindu
Anti-Hindu prejudice is a negative perception or religious intolerance against the practice and practitioners of Hinduism. Anti-Hindu sentiments have been expressed by Muslims in Pakistan, Bangladesh, leading to significant persecution of Hindus in those regions, such as the 1971 Bangladesh...
laws that were passed in Goa during the inquisition banning Hindu religious ceremonies and customs, as well as reducing the Status of Hindus into second-class citizens by banning them from public gatherings and so on. The 9th chapter discusses the various methods of torture used on Hindus, Muslims and Jews by the Inquisition, such as burning by Sulphur, Water-torture, rape, the use of pulleys to stretch victims and the "strappado" method of torture. Chapter 10 discusses the Jurisdiction and Authority of the Inquisition of Goa.
Part II discusses the accounts of the Inquisition given by Dellon and Buchanan in two separate chapters.
Peer reviews
The book was very well-reviewed by his peers. Gerald M. Moser of Penn State University said that the book was an authoritative work on the event based on accounts of European travellers and Portuguese historians. The book was written one year prior to the liberation of GoaGoa
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...
from Portuguese occupation by India, so it "reopened old wounds, recalling the dismal record of European religious intolerance" in India "through the most pitiless inquisition of Christendom". Priolkar did not exaggerate the intolerant zeal of the Christian Missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, nor did he try to understand it.