The Unnerving Struggle to Remain A Hindu - XII
06 Jan 2025 10:05:55
Instead of one big celebration, each basti had a Gharwapasi programme. The first Gharwapasi meeting was conducted at the original place of the holy forest dedicated to Devi. It was originally Chimbal, at present it is in the town Mhashe, so the first ceremony was held at Chimbal. It was a neglected place for a long time, it was cleaned, and decorated and it again acquired the old glory. The picture of Masoorkar Maharaj was placed. Vedic scholar Shri Vishnu Shastri lit the holy fire. (A detailed description of the entire ceremony is given in the book). The ceremony started at midnight and ended at the next noon. 7,765 Gavades returned to the original faith, Hinduism. They regained their original identity and got rid of their Portuguese names also.
Once the news started spreading, the Portugese daily started spewing venom. It was described as an effort to subvert the Portuguese administration. The arrest of those who led the procedure was managed and Gavades were threatened with the horrific consequences.
Hindus were determined, and all the human rights leaders protested against it. The British government was successfully persuaded to send a protest note. Reputed Marathi personalities were sent as a delegation. Representatives of Masoor ashram were sent, and they entered Goa officially. All these things were received with great enthusiasm. It was stated that it had not been a political movement. A young Gavade expressed immense pleasure and pride in Gharwapasi. Padres tried to dissuade him by describing the Hindu religion as ' inferior ' and he was described to be degrading himself by returning to the original faith. He gave a befitting and bold reply, one has to read it from the book. On questioning about the discriminatory treatment, he boldly stated that even Christians do not treat them as their equals and left the missionaries speechless.
Nothing worked, so even the Masoor ashram was allowed to carry Gharwapasi with prior permission. Unfortunately, the movement could not continue, it came to a halt. Of course, Gavades who returned to their old faith, live as Hindus even today. Unwise acts of some were responsible for breaking the momentum of the Gharwapasi movement, Ranga Hari Ji noted with great pain.
Now probably, it is the time to learn the lesson from this history. The destruction of temples was the weapon used by the Muslim as well as Portuguese rulers blatantly without any remorse. The children of the soil were left defenceless, their social sphere was narrowed down suddenly and violently. Both the rulers let the reign of atrocities loose. One just cannot imagine the horrific nature of their methods. Many fought a selfless, long-drawn or endless battle for centuries. Kunkolly is one such example of unimaginable bravery.
Reconstruction of Mahalasa Narayani temple of Verne too is one such glaring example of reclaiming the lost identity. The process continues. The author noted that more than 600 temples were destroyed and even the Church as an institution was a part of this plan. When no material gain is involved, people with inner calling have to come forward to save.
Initially, reconversion did not somehow have social acceptance, so missionaries had an easy task. Once converted, there was no opportunity for reconversion. Now, fortunately,y the picture has changed. Swami Shraddhanand Ji was aware of the weakness of our society then. We shall not fall prey to such things again, this is a priceless lesson for all the Hindus. We need to remain united to foil any such attempt. We need to be alert and pay attention to the fabric of our society, it has to be strengthened based on the principles of Sanatana Dharma.
The book many times left me in a state of mental turbulence for a long time, I could not digest that such inhuman and terrible acts were performed by the Church and the Portugese administration in the name of God. How can a religious institution and the administration be so utterly intolerant? Do people who don't belong to the faith of the rulers have no right to be alive? Why don't we face the fact?
A visit to Goa ought to be a visit to the numerous temples saved by our people which were originally destroyed and converted into churches. The temples we visit are reconstructed in the territory which was not part of Portuguese rule then. Mahalasa Narayani temple is the only example of a temple reconstructed at the original site. All should visit Hat Katro Khambo with the heavy heart that somehow escaped the destruction and is a silent witness of the Inquisition. It caused immense anxiety when I read the details.
The people of Goa refused to get converted. We need to bow down and be grateful to the numerous unknown and unsung heroes. Many of them paid the price of their simple acts in life. Reading the procedure of the Inquisition leaves one speechless, all the records are destroyed. Our ancestors had to fight at every step just to perform simple rites to mark simple occasions of life. No social and religious space was left for Hindus. Portuguese rulers and the Church were obsessed with conversion at any cost, and Hindus paid every price simply to remain Hindus. We all are fortunate that we are born in the independent Bharat and can lead a respectable life as a Hindu.
Once the news started spreading, the Portugese daily started spewing venom. It was described as an effort to subvert the Portuguese administration. The arrest of those who led the procedure was managed and Gavades were threatened with the horrific consequences.
Hindus were determined, and all the human rights leaders protested against it. The British government was successfully persuaded to send a protest note. Reputed Marathi personalities were sent as a delegation. Representatives of Masoor ashram were sent, and they entered Goa officially. All these things were received with great enthusiasm. It was stated that it had not been a political movement. A young Gavade expressed immense pleasure and pride in Gharwapasi. Padres tried to dissuade him by describing the Hindu religion as ' inferior ' and he was described to be degrading himself by returning to the original faith. He gave a befitting and bold reply, one has to read it from the book. On questioning about the discriminatory treatment, he boldly stated that even Christians do not treat them as their equals and left the missionaries speechless.
Nothing worked, so even the Masoor ashram was allowed to carry Gharwapasi with prior permission. Unfortunately, the movement could not continue, it came to a halt. Of course, Gavades who returned to their old faith, live as Hindus even today. Unwise acts of some were responsible for breaking the momentum of the Gharwapasi movement, Ranga Hari Ji noted with great pain.
Now probably, it is the time to learn the lesson from this history. The destruction of temples was the weapon used by the Muslim as well as Portuguese rulers blatantly without any remorse. The children of the soil were left defenceless, their social sphere was narrowed down suddenly and violently. Both the rulers let the reign of atrocities loose. One just cannot imagine the horrific nature of their methods. Many fought a selfless, long-drawn or endless battle for centuries. Kunkolly is one such example of unimaginable bravery.
Reconstruction of Mahalasa Narayani temple of Verne too is one such glaring example of reclaiming the lost identity. The process continues. The author noted that more than 600 temples were destroyed and even the Church as an institution was a part of this plan. When no material gain is involved, people with inner calling have to come forward to save.
Initially, reconversion did not somehow have social acceptance, so missionaries had an easy task. Once converted, there was no opportunity for reconversion. Now, fortunately,y the picture has changed. Swami Shraddhanand Ji was aware of the weakness of our society then. We shall not fall prey to such things again, this is a priceless lesson for all the Hindus. We need to remain united to foil any such attempt. We need to be alert and pay attention to the fabric of our society, it has to be strengthened based on the principles of Sanatana Dharma.
The book many times left me in a state of mental turbulence for a long time, I could not digest that such inhuman and terrible acts were performed by the Church and the Portugese administration in the name of God. How can a religious institution and the administration be so utterly intolerant? Do people who don't belong to the faith of the rulers have no right to be alive? Why don't we face the fact?
A visit to Goa ought to be a visit to the numerous temples saved by our people which were originally destroyed and converted into churches. The temples we visit are reconstructed in the territory which was not part of Portuguese rule then. Mahalasa Narayani temple is the only example of a temple reconstructed at the original site. All should visit Hat Katro Khambo with the heavy heart that somehow escaped the destruction and is a silent witness of the Inquisition. It caused immense anxiety when I read the details.
The people of Goa refused to get converted. We need to bow down and be grateful to the numerous unknown and unsung heroes. Many of them paid the price of their simple acts in life. Reading the procedure of the Inquisition leaves one speechless, all the records are destroyed. Our ancestors had to fight at every step just to perform simple rites to mark simple occasions of life. No social and religious space was left for Hindus. Portuguese rulers and the Church were obsessed with conversion at any cost, and Hindus paid every price simply to remain Hindus. We all are fortunate that we are born in the independent Bharat and can lead a respectable life as a Hindu.