n 1545 Francis Xavier, frustrated - wrote to Rome (this letter is preserved) and to the King - “The Hindus are an unholy race. They are liars and cheats to the very backbone. Their idols are black - as black as black can be - ugly and horrible to look at, smeared with oil and smell in a evil manner.” He then formally ordered the Portugese Inquisition fo Goa, which ran from 1516 to 1812. The rest of Europe had terminated the Inquisition in 1774. It stopped in 1812 due to British intervention. More than 20000 people were brought under trial by this Inquisition. The Portugese first started off with high ranking Saraswat Brahmin Hindus who held the land and riches. Who ever was caught in a palanquin had to undergo the brutal inquisition. They were NOT allowed to wear the Shendi (hair tuft), have a Tulsi plant in front of their house, wear the sacred thread, have an idol in their homes, wear sandals, read the Vedas etc. This drove all of them away from Goa, leaving the land behind. Some of them unwillingly converted into Christianity.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 04:49:31 +0000
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