SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2024
Sushila Sawant Mendes
Today there is a lot of controversy about the installation of the statue of Shivaji in Calangute. Public monuments have become sites of conflicts, showing bitter divisions over historical interpretations of the past. Monuments have often become reasons for wider disagreements between competing visions in history. Do public monuments serve a purpose in society? Some monuments are removed eg Nazi monuments were removed after the downfall of Hitler. Others believe that the history of every people is written in its monuments and statues need to be preserved because they serve as reminders of our past. The 19th century has been characterised as an age of ‘statuomania’. Statues do tell us about the past, however this does not mean that we should accept what they say uncritically.
Shivaji has always been hailed as an iconic figure for his efforts in bringing all the Maratha sardars together in the establishment of Hindavi Swaraj. Nobody can dispute the leadership qualities and valour of Shivaji. Reasons of legality, traffic violations and permissions not taken are sighted by those who oppose the installation. For the Marathas, Shivaji is their hero and is given a demi-god status.
There are three important sources on the topic of the Portuguese Maratha relations. The Marathi text was published in 1967, entitled, ‘Portugues –Marathe Sambandh Arthath Portuguesejacha Daftarrantil Maratyacha Etihas’, authored by Dr Pandurang S Pissurlekar. In 1975, a more detailed English version, was published with the title, ‘The Portuguese and the Marathas–translations of articles of the late Dr Pandurang S Pissurlekar, ‘Portugues e Marates (1658 -1785)’ in Portuguese language, translated by P R Kakodkar and published by the State Board of Literature and Culture, Govt of Maharashtra, Bombay. The third source is the ‘Gazetteer of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu, District Gazetteer Part I: Goa, edited by Dr V T Gune, the then Director of Archives, Archaeology and Executive Editor and Member Secretary, Goa Gazetteer Editorial Board and published in 1979 by the Gazetteer Dept., Govt. of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu.
The map of Goa that we see today was not the same in Shivaji’s time. It was limited to the Old Conquests of Tiswadi, Bardez and Salcete. It was only by 1788 that the New Conquests of Pernem, Bicholim, Satari, Ponda, Quepem, Sanguem and Canacona were added to the (Portuguese)Estado de India. We need to understand that the Portuguese could not ignore the great founder of the Maratha power when he almost knocked on their doors in the Konkan with the threat of establishing a navy of his own. The Maratha vessels were anchored at Bhivandi, Kalyan and Panvel. He had a fleet of twenty warships and some merchants. In fact some Portuguese mercenaries had joined Shivaji. Rui Leitao Viegas was appointed to command his fleet.
Shivaji had requested to obtain the cartazes or the licenses issued to ships navigating in the Indian Ocean by the Portuguese authorities. The Portuguese declined as they feared that Shivaji could use his fleet against them. In diplomacy, an enemy’s enemy is always considered a friend, so the enemy of Shivaji, the Siddi of Danda-Rajapur was a friend of the Portuguese. Shivaji was actually planning to send his fleet against the Siddi. The Portuguese succeeded in persuading Viegas and more than three hundred fellow compatriots, who had been assisting Shivaji, to desert him.
The Portuguese navy was by far superior; but on land, Shivaji was a threat to their territory of Bardez and Salcette. By the end of 1664, Shivaji captured Kudal, Pernem, and Bicholim from the Adil Shah. The Dessai’s of this region took shelter in Bardez from where they often trespassed into Shivaji’s lands. The Marathas therefore believed that the Portuguese thus protected their enemies. In the first half of 1665, backed by the Portuguese, the Dessai’s assisted the Adil Shahi garrison at Ponda. Despite protests from the Marathas, nothing changed.
In 1666, Shivaji besieged Ponda which was Adil Shahi territory then. The Portuguese secretly supplied ammunition to Adil Shah’s garrison and thus helped to its successful resistance to Shivaji’s army. In 1667, Shivaji decided to attack Bardez because of the anti-Shivaji activities of the Dessais, who had taken shelter in Bardez. It could also be an economic need. A third player who entered the Portuguese-Maratha conflict was the Dutch. Naroba Sawant, a Dessai, along with the help of the Portuguese had attacked a Dutch factory in Vengurla which enjoyed Shivaji’s patronage. So the Dutch helped Shivaji with ammunition on the occasion of his attack on Bardez.
This attack lasted three days from November 20 to 22, 1667 and resulted in many being taken as prisoners of war and killings on both sides. Among those killed were three or four catholic priests and some Christians. The Portuguese Viceroy claimed that Shivaji retreated because he feared the small troop of less than a hundred men led personally by the Viceroy on November 22.
In the very next month, on December 5, 1667, a treaty was signed providing for restoration of captives, expulsion of the Dessai’s from Goa if they trespassed into Shivaji’s lands. This was subject to term and conditions viz commercial relations subject to payment of taxes, first negotiations before taking to arms in all future disputes and sale of arms to Shivaji if the terms were acceptable to the Portuguese. In 1668, Shivaji paid his respects to the Saptakoteshwar temple in Narve, Bicholim and ordered its renovation.
After his coronation in 1674, Shivaji was annoyed with the Portuguese for the delaying tactics used by them to pay the tax of chauth due to him from Daman. The Portuguese were paying this tax to the King of Ramnagar who had ceded some territory to the Portuguese on the condition of payment of this tax. In 1675, Shivaji besieged Ponda again. This time the Viceroy professed neutrality, but secretly sent ten small vessels with provisions and soldiers which fell in Shivaji’s hands. The Viceroy denied responsibility for this despatch. Ultimately, Ponda was captured by Shivaji the same year.
In 1677, the Portuguese secretly aided, the King of Ramnagar with the chauth money that had accumulated with them to continue his fight with Shivaji. The same year, Shivaji attacked and defeated Ramnagar. This is when Shivaji prepared to attack Goa, but his untimely death in 1680 did not allow this to take place.
The diplomatic correspondence cited by Pissurlekar shows that the Portuguese relationship with Shivaji was cautious, friendly and also neutral and hostile depending on the players involved. We need to learn from the lessons of history. The past should never haunt our future. History should help foster goodwill among persons and communities. This was the work done by the freedom fighters of Goa for whom caste and religion meant little in their united endeavour to fight Portuguese colonialism. This was also done in bygone years by Akbar, Shivaji, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. Each of them was community conscious and would have abhorred the very idea of installing their own statues! History is used and abused and the onus of doubt is always put on leaders and politicians. This way we absolve our own responsibility, of shunning the divisive forces and instead take what is positive from history, to improve our own societies and communities. Great leaders should live in the actions of a country and not in monuments! Shivaji was the symbol of oneness and strength, it is unfortunate that today we fight over his statue and forget his vision of unity!
(Prof (Dr) Sushila Sawant Mendes is an author and professor in History, Govt College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Quepem)
