Experts recommend memorial for temples destroyed by Portuguese in Goa

An expert panel has recommended construction of a memorial in Goa for temples destroyed during the Portuguese rule and a museum to showcase the ancient heritage temples in the state, as per a report tabled in the legislative assembly.

The committee has claimed that more than 1,000 temples were destroyed by the Portuguese rulers in Goa.

Goa Archaeology Minister Subhash Phal Desai said in the House on Monday that his department is in the process of identifying a suitable site for the construction of the memorial.

He tabled in the House a report of the committee of experts for the reconstruction of temples destroyed during the Portuguese regime, as a part of reply to an unstarred question.

" As per the recommendation of the expert committee, the department is in communication with the Department of Goa Gazetteer and Historical Records for translation of related books in English to facilitate further research," he said.

The report of the committee, which was formed in the 2023, has recommended that "keeping in mind the large number of temples and deities which existed in Goa during the pre-Portuguese period and which were destroyed by the Portuguese, a temple memorial (smarak devalaya) should be built anywhere in the erstwhile old Portuguese conquests, consisting of the modern Salcette (South Goa) and Bardez and Tiswadi (both North Goa), which bore the brunt of the temple destruction spree."

The committee also said there are immense archaeological evidences and remains scattered around villages which once belonged to the rich temple culture of Goa.

"Unfortunately, these are lying in a state of neglect today. Also, in the process of modernisation, we are losing our ancient temple heritage at a faster pace," the committee said.

The panel members have recommended that the government may take up an initiative of setting up a museum which will exclusively showcase the ancient heritage temples of Goa.

They have also recommended that the state government may formulate schemes to undertake minor and major projects for encouraging researchers and academicians to take up research work about the temples of Goa.

The minister said his department has also initiated an archaeological research fellowship scheme at the junior and senior levels.