Shashwat Gupta Ray
In the early 16th Century AD, the native Goans had to flee to other places due to the exorbitant taxes imposed on them by the Adil Shahi rulers, only to return home after being assured of reduction of the taxes by the Portuguese regime. This has been found in a study done on the Foral of 1526 by Dr Aditi Shukla, Assistant Professor of His tory at India International University of Legal Edu cation and Research, San coale. “In 1510, Goa was under the control of Adil Shahi rul ers. It is said that the local in habitants were troubled due to exorbitant taxation that was enforced upon them by the Adil Shahi rulers because of which several inhabitants fled to neighbouring territo ries. On the event of settle ment of the Portuguese they promised to reduce the tax es, which caused the people to return back to the soil,” Dr Shukla told O Heraldo.
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The study analyses the prevailing situation of the State and Society in early sixteenth century when Goa was in a transition from vari ous monarchical rules to the beginning of Portuguese era. At this point of time, the people of Goa were practic ing their own customs and traditions in the villages that were continuing since the earlier centuries. They were governed by a set of rules, regulations and laws that had origins in the Vedas and dhar mashstras that were followed by the ruling kingdoms. “The Portuguese wanted to establish their rule in Goa in order to make it the cen tre of their Eastern trade and to earn maximum prof it from the place. In order to make their endeavours successful, the Portuguese authorities attempted to collect information about the members (gaunkars) and functioning of village assembly (gaunkari), tem ples, the taxes that were paid to earlier kingdoms, the distribution of shares in the village communi ties, rights of inheritance prevailing in the land, local norms, customs and such other aspects,” she said.
This work was undertaken by Afonso de Mexia, a Portu guese Controller of the Ex chequer of the Island of Goa. “This study has attempt ed to understand the society and state existing in the early years of the sixteenth century on the basis of the collated in formation in the The Foral of 1526 also known as Foral de Mexia,” the lecturer added. Since, the period of the early sixteenth century in Goa was a period of turbu lence and of transition with the suppression of one king dom and the establishment of a foreign power as the authority, the region went through significant changes in the norms, culture, tradi tions and the rules and reg ulations as well. “Such information helps the government in current era to create new policies and plan new schemes that provide for the progress and development of the nation as well as eradicate the ones that do not suit the present times,” Dr Shukla said, on the message from her findings.
