Status of Women under Portuguese Rule : Transcribed from Portuguese Inscriptions in the Region of Goa

Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions. Inscriptions are of immense value for the reconstruction of ancient Indian history for they provide authentic evidence based on actual finds of contemporary periods. On 3rd March 1510 Albuquerque took possession of old Goa from Ismail Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur. Afonso de Albuquerque after his final assault on Goa Island in 1510 laid a solid foundation to the Portuguese colonial structure by encouraging his soldiers to marry the local women.

 

Hundreds of Inscriptions were engraved with various purposes in the churches, monuments, arches and at many public buildings. Not a single work is available on the Portuguese inscriptions in Goa with special eference to position of women under Portuguese at Goa. Hence it will be first kind of study. It will be ready reference work for future researchers.

 

Study of Portuguese inscriptions from Goa is indeed interdisciplinary study.  Epigraphy will only bring into light the inscriptions and its meaning in English. But the further interpretations will reveals the social, political, religious, cultural information of the Portuguese rule in Goa. It will give us information about the conversion to Christianity, patronage of ruler to the religion of the rulers, tomb inscriptions had deciphered the information about the various Portuguese office bearers, their family life, position of women in Goa under Portuguese. Thus this study is multi-dimensional unique study.