History and culture of Goa

A small territory placed by the scenic Western shoreline of India, Goa has been one among the most well-liked tourist spots on this planet! Any talk regarding the culture of Goa is incomplete if we did not dig deep into its rich past! The history of Goa is equally rich as its culture and traditions! It had been among the earliest parts of the subcontinent to become colonized- and become the last to be liberated. Nevertheless, the history of Goa goes way ahead of this colonization...

The queen of beaches in India is talked about even by the Mahabharata- said to be the earliest of Hindu epics. Known as 'Gomantak' or fertile territory in the last texts, the the past of Goa is steeped in mystery and myths!legends! Allow me to share some of the most interesting historical beliefs that are associated with the area:

One legend has it the sage Parashuram contributed to the making of the complete Konkan coast. The legend goes in this way-When he was requested to vacate the place where he had annihilated a whole population of kshatriyas (the fighter class in ancient India), Parashuram asked the ocean to draw back so that he could develop a territory for himself. He shot an arrow from the Western Ghats. Place in which the arrow landed was to be the spot from which the seas had been ordered to recede.

Till date, this region is known as Bannali (a Sanskrit word for a village in which the arrow landed)! The sea gods obeyed and land within the banks of the rivers Gomati and Asghanasani was surrendered to Parashuram. You can always spot of the renowned Parashuram Temple there! One may still spot the rivers in modern day Goa, only now there're called Mandovi and Zuari.

One more unshakable legend about the Goa's history goes in this way- Krishna, the Hindu lord was fascinated by the great thing about some Konkan women he saw bathing about the Konkan coast. Further, he was enthralled by their dancing and presented the name 'govapuri (from the word 'gov' -referring to the cows belonging to the local people on the area. Fascinating, isn't it? The modern day 'Goa' derives its name from this legendary Govapuri.

The civilization of Goa has been influenced a lot by its ancient history. It was probably the most in demand of places in the ancient Indian kingdom. Goa, from the 4th century onwards was ruled by many dynasties. The first dynasty that ruled the place was the Bhojas during the 4th and 5th centuries. Silahara and the Kadamba dynasties came after that.

Goa was thrust into the limelight during the 14th century when it started out as an excellent trading centre. It evolved into the point of interest for traders looking to market using the Middle Eastern countries. This in the end led towards the colonization of the territory through the Europeans at a later stage.