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Portuguese India

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Portuguese State of India
Estado da Índia
1510–1961
Portuguese India evolution
Portuguese India evolution
StatusPortuguese colony
CapitalNova Goa (Cochin to 1530)
Common languagesPortuguese
Head of state 
• King
   1511-21
Manuel I of Portugal
• President
   1958-61
Américo Tomás
Viceroy 
• 1505-09 (first)
Francisco de Almeida
• 1827-35 (last)
Manuel de Portugal e Castro
Governor-general 
• 1509-15 (first)
Afonso de Albuquerque
• 1958-62 (last)
Manuel António Vassalo e Silva
Historical eraImperialism
• Fall of Sultanate of Bijapur
15 August 1510
• Fall of Portuguese India
14 January 1961
CurrencyIndian rúpia (INPR)
Indian escudo (INPES)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Sultanate of Bijapur
India

Portuguese India (Portuguese: Índia Portuguesa or Estado da Índia) was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India. At the time of British India's independence in 1947, Portuguese India included a number of enclaves on India's western coast, including Goa proper, as well as the coastal enclaves of Daman (Port: Damão) and Diu, and the enclaves of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, which lie inland from Daman. The territories of Portuguese India were sometimes referred to collectively as Goa.


After India's independence

After India's independence from the British in 1947, Portugal refused to accede to India's request to relinquish control of its Indian possessions. The decision given by the International Court of Justice at The Hague, regarding access to Dadra and Nagar Haveli, after it was invaded by Indian citizens, was an impasse[1].

From 1954, peaceful Satyagrahis attempts from outside Goa at forcing the Portuguese to leave Goa were brutally suppressed.[2] Many revolts were quelled by the use of force and leaders eliminated or jailed. As a result, India closed its consulate (which had operated in Panjim since 1947) and imposed an economic embargo against the territories of Portuguese Goa. The Indian Government adopted a "wait and watch" attitude from 1955 to 1961 with numerous representations to the Portuguese Salazar regime and attempts to highlight the issue before the international community.[3] Eventually, in December 1961, India militarily invaded Goa, Daman and Diu, where they were faced with insufficient Portuguese resistance.[4][5] Portuguese armed forces had been instructed to either defeat the invaders or die, and though a cease-fire was decreed, an official truce was never signed. [6] Only meager resistance was offered due to the Portuguese army's poor firepower and size (only 3,300 men), against a fully-armed Indian force of over 30,000 with full Air and Naval support.[7] [8]. The territories were annexed to India on 19 December 1961.

The Salazar regime in Portugal refused to recognize Indian sovereignty over Goa, Daman and Diu, which continued to be represented in Portugal's National Assembly until 1974. Following the Carnation Revolution that year, the new government in Lisbon restored diplomatic relations with India, and recognized Indian sovereignty over Goa, Daman and Diu. However, due to the military takeover, and since the wishes of the people of Portuguese India were never taken into consideration (as required by UN Resolution 1514 (XV) of 1960 on "the right to self-determination" [9] -- see also UN Resolutions 1541 and 1542 [10]), the people continue to have the right to Portuguese citizenship. However, since 2006, this has been restricted to those born during Portuguese rule. The UN resolutions were never applied to Goa - a result of the Soviet Union vetoing efforts by the United States in this regard.



See also