(Courtesy: The Navhind Times - Published on: April 18, 2010)
Yesterday decides what today will be. That is what history and heritage are all about. Today, on World Heritage Day, ‘The Navhind Times’ travels with Rohit R Phalgaonkar into the depths of Goan history
The history of Goa spans to the prehistoric era. Many evidences of this age have been found in the villages of Pansalimall, Mahus in the form of rock art, and one can see carved along the banks of River Kushavati at Pansalimall the humped bull with horns and deer.
Goa saw the first dynastic rule in the 4th century AD. King Devraj of the Bhoj dynasty was the first to rule over Goa. He declared Chandrapur, today’s Chandor of the Salcette taluka, his capital.
The Konkan Mauryas, the Shilahars, the Chalukys also stepped on this soil. Finally the Kadambs gained full sway over Goa and ruled for nearly three and half centuries. Later Goa also came under the Vijaynagars for some time and subsequently the Adilshah and the Portuguese kept Goa under their control.
The Portuguese documented and recorded most of history. Many hand-written records like the ‘Forals’ are preserved in the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology.
But the history prior to the Vijaynagar period is known to us only through epigraphs or copper plates and stone inscriptions. What are these copperplates? They are rectangular plates of copper with inscribed text. They are normally in a bunch of three with a hole towards their extreme left. A circular ring passes through this hole, holding the plates together. In Goa, we have copper plates being issued by kings, queens and even by ministers. The scripts on the copper plates and stone inscriptions found in Goa are Brahmi, Nandi Nagari, Nagari and even Hale Kannada.
The first copper plate of the set normally contains text saluting the family deity of the dynasty, the name of the ruler and dynasty. The second and the third plate contains inscription mentioning the reason for which the copper plate was issued. The second plate is inscribed on both sides.
Most of the Goan copper plates issued grants of land to temples and Brahmans. Some of them were even issued to resolve conflicts between two communities. One set of Goan copper plates was issued to grant land to a Mahavihar, which is identified with a Buddhist Monastery. Many copper plates are in private possession and one set is displayed in the Goa State Museum at Patto.
Stone inscriptions are stone tablets with inscribed text. They were laid during the foundation of temples or to commemorate an event or even to pay homage to a warrior who gave up his life fighting. The stone inscription dating to 960AD mentioning the first Kadamb king Shasth Dev I was also found in Goa. I have also come across a stone inscription of the Vijaynagar period in Goa which is worshiped today. It is owned by a family.
Some stone inscriptions are seen lying in the open uncared. Sunlight and heavy rains in Goa have worn off the inscriptions thus erasing a period of history. Many stone inscriptions are seen fixed on the walls of public buildings in Panaji. The Fazenda, the small bridges near Kala Academy and Inox and the Gulo near Porvorim Circle have stone tablets fixed on its pillars. Many stone inscriptions are also seen affixed on church walls.
Some inscriptions are defaced while carrying out repairs of the structure on which they are fixed. The cement slurry fallen on them is not cleaned and is allowed to solidify thus damaging a historic record.
Though existence of these valuable documents is mentioned in different books their whereabouts are not known today. Anybody owning such rare and antique documents should preserve them for posterity.
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