HISTORY                                                                     
THE HINDU PERIOD ETYMOLOGY OF THE NAME 'GOA'.
The etymology of the name Goa is quite interesting. Pre-Historic Period early inhabitants of Goa. 'Go' means Cow (Go is the Sanskrit word for cow). Hence Goa meaning a land which abounds in cattle, pasture, agriculture. Lord Parashurama is supposed to have created Goa, In ancient times it was known, by varied names like Gomantak, Gomanchal- the word 'Go' being common to all these names.
ANCIENT RULERS OF GOA
Goa was a part of the great Maurya Empire established by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. (Mauryas) then Andras, Scythiens. Next Goa became a part of the Bhoja Kingdom. Devaraja Bhoja was the founder of this kingdom. Prithvimallavarman was a famous Bhoja king. Chandor was their capital in Goa. 1t was known as Chandrapur. Then came the Konkan Mauryas. The other ancient rulers of Goa were the Abhiras, Traikutakas, the Kalachuris, the Satavahana, the Rashtrakootas, the Guptas, the Chalukyas of Badami (Karnataka), the Shilaharas of Sawantwadi. Govapuri (today's Goa Velha) was the headquarters of the Shilaharas in Goa. Being a port on the Aghanashini (Zuari) river trade and commerce flourished in Govapuri, Muslim traders from Arabia had their trade-centres at Govapuri.
In the year 1008 A.D.A Kadamba king Sashtha Deva II conquered Goa, He had his capital at Chandor. But sometime later Govapuri became the capital of the Kadambas of Goa. It was also known as Gopakapattana. Sashtha Deva II was the master of the whole of Konkan, Another great Kadamba king was Jayakeshi II. The Kadamba,' dynasty came from the Talgunda village in Shimoga taluka in Karnataka. The Kadambas were good administrators. They ruled Goa from 1008 A.D. to 1310 A.D.
The Kadambas contributed some Kannada words to the konkani language, folk arts like Ghodemodni, some aspects of Shigmo etc. The Kadambas built the famous Mahadev Temple at Tambde Surla in the 12 century A.D. of black basalt stone and the Saptakoteshwar temple at (Narva) Diwas Island.
Most of the ancient dynasties ruling over Goa belonged either to Maharashtra especially the konkan region or Karnataka, Hence the Hindu Culture of Goa was highly influenced by the culture of these two regions.

Medieval Goa
As said earlier the Kadambas ruled Goa till 1310 A.D. In this year Goa had to face a Muslim invasion under the leadership of Malik Kafur the Khalji general of Sultan Alauddin Khalj of the Delhi Sultanate and Goa become a part of the Khalji empire. This was followed by the invasion of Sultan Mohammed-bin-Tughluq in the 14^th century,
In 1356 another Muslim Sultan Sultan Alaudddin Bahman Shah founder of the Bahmani kingdom in the Karnataka captured Goa. Then the Rayas of Vijaynagara captured Goa in 1378 from the Bahmanis. Once again in 1472 1 February, Mahmud Gawan the Prime Minister of the Bahmani - Kingdom captured Goa from the Hindu dynasty of Vijaynagara. Then the Muslim dynasty of Bijapur that is the Adilshahi Dynasty captured Goa in 1489. Yusuf Adil Shah founded the city of Old Goa. This Sultan built his palace at Old Goa and a fortress whose ruin still stand today and a summer palace at Panjkhalli (Panaji) which houses the Secretariate today. Many Hindus were converted to Islam during the Bahmani and Adilshahi rule over Goa. Hence, we see the Goa Muslims speak a dialect, which is a fusion of Kndi, Marathi, Konkani and Urdu words. Mosques were built in Goa during the Bahmani and Adilshah regimes. Old Goa became a famous port during the Adil Shahi regime where traders from all parts of .the world carried on trade.
Portuguese Goa (1510 A.D - 1961 A.D.)
Vasco-Da-Gama the Portuguese sailor discovered the sea-route to India is 1498 and in 1510 Afonso de Albuquerque the Portuguese viceroy conquered Goa from the Adilshahi dynasty of Bijapur Afonso de Albuquerque built the St. Catherine's Chapel at Old Goa in 1510 which stands opposite the Church of St. Francis at Old Goa. There were three motives for Albuquerque conquest of Goa.: 1. Trade 2. Political power 3. Spread of Christianity
He abolished the evil Hindu custom of Sati in 1510 in the Tiswadi Island. He married off his soldiers to the wives and daughters of the Adilshahi officers to create a lush-Indian progeny. These Muslim ladies were the first converts to Christianity in Goa. Then the conversion of low caste Hindus to Christianity began. Majority of the Hindus and Muslims of the Tiswadi island were converted to Christianity and were given Portuguese names and surnames like Rodriques, Fernandes, Dias, D'Souza, Falcao, Pereira, Pegado etc. The earliest converts were given the names of Portuguese Kings, queens, saints and missionaries. St. Francis Xavier arrived in Goa in 1542 and conversion began in full swing. He performed miracles in the lives of the converts. He was a Professor in the Collegio do Sao Paulo (College of St. Paul) at Old Goa. The gateway of this college still stands today at Old Goa. In those days it was described as the University of Goa. Beautiful, grand churches with imposing facades like the Se Cathedral (1619), Basilica of Bom Jesus (1605) Church of St. Francis of Assisi (around 1667) St. Cajetan's Church modeled on St. Peter's Church of Rome with a cupola dome, the Augustinian church, church of Our Lady of Rosary, St. Monica Convent, All these churches were built by the Portuguese in the first quarter of the 17 century at their capital city that is Old Goa. Temples and mosques were destroyed and on their places churches were built. The Inquisition was a horrible in the Goan history wherein all those converts who followed their previous Hindu or Muslim religious rituals, customs, those who refused to get converted were burnt at the Inquisition set up at Old Goa. Various torturous punishments were also inflicted on the victhas of the Portuguese inquisitors.
The Portuguese changed the lifestyle of the cowerts. The males started wearing Calsio (pant) Khomis (shirt) and the women started wearing 'Istid' (skirts) and the women went in for cropped hairstyle.
The Portuguese introduced new food items like the pao (bread), bebinca, dodol, cald (soup), bolinhas salads, balchao of prawns or king fish, omlettes, pork items like leitKo assada, sorpotel, pastelao, chouris-pao, vindaloo, galielo cafreal (chicken cafreal) chicken xacuti cakes, biscuits, toast, cooking rice with salt usage of vinegar, xec-xec, para etc.
The Portuguese introduced potato, tomato, chillies like tarvotti, portugali, sweet-potato, pine- apple, bread-fruit, cashew, papayas, custard apple, grafting of mangoes, guavas, pumpkins, drinks like cazu feni, the portwine, brandy. rum etc. The Portuguese introduced bakeries, Sitting at the dining table, usage of spoons, forks, knives, ect.
The balcao, semi-circular windows with sea-shells, stained coloured glass windows, the violin, the piano, mandolin, the carnival etc. The Hindu wedding ceremonies are a contrast to the catholic wedding ceremonies. The konkani language borrowed numerous Portuguese words like mez, chavi, kodel, voltaire, armar, subez, malkiryad, abuz, far, cazaar, mog, fog, alt, escola, put, pai, mai, mao, irmao, obrigaad, patrao, poder"merd etc.etc. The Portuguese language came to be spoken in the elite Catholic houses. The printing press, the Escola Medical, Hospital Real, the common civil code, bridges were the other contributions of the Portuguese, the Portuguese built The Patto bridge in 1632. The Portuguese ruled Goa for 451 years.
In the beginning centuries that is the 16th, 17th centuries Tiswadi, Bardez and Salcette came under the Portuguese rule. These were the 'Old Conquests'. In the 18th Century the conversion zeal had completely  died down and these regions remained Hindu, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona were also included in New Conquests. In 1787 the Couto brothers of Mala, Panaji and Antonio Gonsalves of Diwar revolted against the Portuguese for racial discrimination in the ecclesiastical Geld. This is popularly known as the 'Conjuracao of the Pintos' Since the Pinto family of Candolim had helped the Couto brothers and Antonio Gonsalves of Diwar along with Abbe Faria the famous Goa hypnotist to revolt against the Portuguese. In 1852, Dipaji Rane revolted against the Portuguese for the rights of Sattari. The Rane Revolts continued till 1912. Their famous leaders were Dipaji Rane, Dada Rane, Kushtoba Rane, and Vijaysingh Rane etc. In 1910 Portugal became a Republic. Among the great Goan personalities who fought for Goan rights during this republican period were Francisco Luis Gomes, the first Goan parliamentarian in the Lisbon Parliament, Luis Menezes Branganza the fiery Goan journalist who demanded autonomous status for Goa within the Portuguese rule, Bernardo Peres da Silva was the first Goan to become the Viceroy (Prefect) of Goa.
                                                                                                                                   CONT….(page2)
                                                                                                                                       click here