Guest guest Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 > Sun, 5 Jun 2005 04:31:24 +0100 (BST) > Vrin Parker <vrinparker > Fwd: Goa Inquisition by Dr.T.R.De Souza- > Must read > vrnparker > > > > SIARAM wrote:SIARAM > Wed, 1 Jun 2005 11:37:25 EDT > Goa Inquisition by Dr.T.R.De Souza- Must > read > SIARAM > > conversionwatch > Sun, 29 May 2005 15:58:59 -0500 > ConversionWatch > [ConversionWatch] Historian deSouza on the > Goa Inquisition > > Historian deSouza on the Goa Inquisition > > Dr. T. R. de Souza > > \"At least from 1540 onwards, and in the island of > Goa before that year, > all the Hindu idols had been annihilated or had > disappeared, all the > temples had been destroyed and their sites and > building material was in > most cases utilized to erect new Christian Churches > and chapels. Various > viceregal and Church council decrees banished the > Hindu priests from the > Portuguese territories; the public practices of > Hindu rites including > marriage rites, were banned; the state took upon > itself the task of > bringing up Hindu orphan children; the Hindus were > denied certain > employments, while the Christians were preferred; it > was ensured that the > Hindus would not harass those who became Christians, > and on the contrary, > the Hindus were obliged to assemble periodically in > Churches to listen to > preaching or to the refutation of their religion.\" > > \"A particularly grave abuse was practiced in Goa in > the form of \'mass > baptism\' and what went before it. The practice was > begun by the Jesuits > and was alter initiated by the Franciscans also. The > Jesuits staged an > annual mass baptism on the Feast of the Conversion > of St. Paul (January > 25), and in order to secure as many neophytes as > possible, a few days > > before the ceremony the Jesuits would go through the > streets of the Hindu > quarter in pairs, accompanied by their Negro slaves, > whom they would urge > to seize the Hindus. When the blacks caught up a > fugitive, they would smear > his lips with a piece of beef, making him an > \'untouchable\' among his > people. Conversion to Christianity was then his only > option.\" > > The Goan inquisition is regarded by all contemporary > portrayals as the most > violent inquisition ever executed by the Portuguese > Catholic Church. It > lasted from 1560 to 1812. The inquisition was set as > a tribunal, headed by > a judge, sent to Goa from Portugal and was assisted > by two judicial > henchmen. The judge was answerable to no one except > to Lisbon and handed > down punishments as he saw fit. The Inquisition Laws > filled 230 pages and > the palace where the Inquisition was conducted was > known as the Big House > and the Inquisition proceedings were always > conducted behind closed > shutters and closed doors. The screams of agony of > the culprits (men, > women, and children) could be heard in the streets, > in the stillness of the > night, as they were brutally interrogated, flogged, > and slowly dismembered > in front of their relatives. Eyelids were sliced off > and extremities were > amputated carefully, a person could remain conscious > even though the only > thing that remained was his torso and a ! > head. > > Diago de Boarda, a priest and his advisor Vicar > General, Miguel Vazz had > made a 41 point plan for torturing Hindus. Under > this plan Viceroy Antano > de Noronha issued in 1566, an order applicable to > the entire area under > Portuguese rule : > > \"I hereby order that in any area owned by my > master, the king, nobody > should construct a Hindu temple and such temples > already constructed should > not be repaired without my permission. If this order > is transgressed, such > temples shall be, destroyed and the goods in them > shall be used to meet > expenses of holy deeds, as punishment of such > transgression.\" > > In 1567 the campaign of destroying temples in Bardez > met with success. At > the end of it 300 Hindu temples were destroyed. > Enacting laws, prohibition > was laid from December 4, 1567 on rituals of Hindu > marriages, sacred thread > wearing and cremation. All the persons above 15 > years of age were compelled > to listen to Christian preaching, failing which they > were punished. > > A religious fatva was issued on the basis of the > findings of Goa Inquiry > Commission. It stated,\"...Hereby we declare the > decision that the > conventions mentioned in the preamble of the fatva > as stated below are > permanently declared as useless, and therefore > prohibited\". > > Prohibitions Regarding Marriages > > * The instruments for Hindu songs shall not be > played. > > * While giving dowry the relatives of the bride > and groom must not be > invited. > > * At the time of marriage, betel leaf packages > (pan) must not be > distributed either publicly or in private to the > persons present. > > * Flowers, or fried puris, betel nuts and leaves > must not be sent to > the heads of the houses of the bride or groom. > > * Gotraj ceremony of family God must not be > performed. > > * On the day prior to a wedding, rice must not > be husked, spices must > not be pounded, grains must not be ground and other > recipes for marriage > feast must not be cooked. > > * Pandals and festoons must not be used. > > * Pithi should not be applied. > > * The bride must not be accorded ceremonial > welcome. The bride and > groom must not be made to sit under pandal to convey > blessings and best > wishes to them. > > Prohibitions Regarding Fasts, Post-death Rituals > > * The poor must not be fed or ceremonial meals > must not be served for > the peace of the souls of the dead. > > * There should be no fasting on ekadashi day. > > * Fasting can be done according to the Christian > principles. > > * No rituals should be performed on the twelfth > day after death, on > moonless and full moon dates. > > No fasting should be done during lunar eclipse. > > Conventions > > * Hindu men should not wear dhoti either in > public or in their houses. > Women should not wear cholis . > > * They should not plant Tulsi in their houses, > compounds, gardens or > any other place. > > Following the law of 1567, orphans were kidnapped > for converting them to > Christianity. > > On September 22, 1570 an order was issued that : > > * The Hindus embracing Christianity will be > exempted from land taxes > for a period of 15 years. > > * Nobody shall bear Hindu names or surnames. > > In 1583 Hindu temples at Esolna and Kankolim were > destroyed through army > action. > > \"The fathers of the Church forbade the Hindus under > terrible penalties the > use of their own sacred books, and prevented them > from all exercise of > their religion. They destroyed their temples, and so > harassed and > interfered with the people that they abandoned the > city in large numbers, > refusing to remain any longer in a place where they > had no liberty, and > were liable to imprisonment, torture and death if > they worshipped after > their own fashion the gods of their fathers.\" wrote > Sasetti, who was in > India from 1578 to 1588. > > An order was issued in June 1684 eliminating Konkani > language and making it > compulsory to speak Portuguese language. The law > provided for dealing > toughly with anyone using the local language. > Following that law all the > symbols of non-Christian sects were destroyed and > the books written in > local languages were burnt. > > The Archbishop living on the banks of the Ethora had > said during one of his > lecture series, \"The post of Inquiry Commission in > Goa is regarded as > holy.\" The women who opposed the assistants of the > commission were put > behind the bars and were used by them to satisfy > their animal instincts. > Then they were burnt alive as opponents of the > established tenets of the > Catholic church. > > The victims of such inhuman laws of the Inquiry > Commission included a > French traveller named Delone. He was an eye witness > to the atrocities, > cruelty and reign of terror unleashed by priests. He > published a book in > 1687 describing the lot of helpless victims. While > he was in jail he had > heard the cries of tortured people beaten with > instruments having sharp > teeth. All these details are noted in Delone\'s > book. > > So harsh and notorious was the inquisition in Goa, > that word of its > brutality and horrors reached Lisbon but nothing was > done to stop this > notoriety and escalating barbarity and it continued > for two hundred more > years. No body knows the exact number of Goans > subjected to these > diabolical tortures, but perhaps it runs into > hundreds of thousands, may be > even more. The abominations of inquisitions > continued until a brief respite > was given in 1774 but four years later, the > inquisition was introduced > again and it continued un-interruptedly until 1812. > At that point in time, > in the year of 1812, the British put pressure on the > Portuguese to put an > end to the terror of Inquisition and the presence of > British troops in Goa > enforced the British desire. Also the Portuguese > power at this time was > declining and they could not fight the British. The > palace of the Grand > Inquisitor, the Big House, was demolished and no > trace of it remains today, > which might remind someone of inquisitions a! > nd the horrors inside this Big House that their > great saint Francis Xavier > had commenced. > > Dr. Trasta Breganka Kunha, a Catholic citizen of Goa > writes, \"Inspite of > all the mutilations and concealment of history, it > remains an undoubted > fact that religious conversion of Goans is due to > methods of force adopted > by the Portuguese to establish their rule. As a > result of this violence the > character of our people was destroyed. The > propagation of Christian sect in > Goa came about not by religious preaching but > through the methods of > violence and pressure. If any evidence is needed for > this fact, we can > obtain it through law books, orders and reports of > the local rulers of that > time and also from the most dependable documents of > the Christian sect.†> > Too much spam in your inbox? Mail gives you > the best spam protection for FREE! > http://in.mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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