PANJIM: With no official data in hand, the State government is now dependent on the citizens and stakeholders to obtain relevant information on the historic and religious sites destroyed during the Portuguese colonial rule for their restoration.
The State’s Department of Archaeology has invited representation or information from the general public, NGOs, historians, and others on all such historical sites that were destroyed during the Portuguese regime. The representations with relevant documents or photographs are to be submitted latest by November 31.
Speaking to media persons, Minister for Archives and Archaeology Subhash Phal Desai said the list of religious or heritage sites destroyed by the Portuguese is not available with the Department of Archaeology.
Hence, he said that public notice has been issued urging citizens, NGOs, Associations and all others working in the related field to give in their inputs pertaining to historical or religious sites destroyed either by Portuguese rulers or during their rule in Goa.
The Minister had even informed the State Legislative Assembly about the non-availability of information while maintaining that several historians have published relevant research on this topic which is available in the public domain.
The State government has made a budgetary allocation of Rs 20 crore towards the restoration of these temples for the current financial year.
In December 2021, speaking during the inauguration of developmental work at Mangueshi in Ponda, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced plans to rebuild the temples destroyed during Portuguese rule as part of the 60th year of Goa’s liberation. Though such temples are not notified in any government record, references can be found in history books, Sawant had said.
