The Goa Inquisition, 1560 to 1812: History and Resistance
The Goa Inquisition was a Portuguese religious tribunal set up in 1560 in the former palace of the Adil Shahi sultans in Old Goa. It ran, with one short break, until 1812. Requested by Francis Xavier, it tried Hindus, Muslims, Jews and new converts accused of secretly keeping their old faith. Temples were destroyed, Hindu rites were banned, and under the Law of Orphans, Hindu children whose fathers died could be taken and raised as Catholics.
This documentary explains how the Inquisition worked and how Goans resisted: by fleeing, hiding their traditions, or fighting back. Unlike in Mexico and Peru, where native cultures were largely erased, Hindu culture in Goa survived.
Chapters
00:00 What was the Goa Inquisition?
00:42 The divine monopoly
01:37 The mercy of the sword
03:55 The interrogation machine
07:19 The resistance
10:22 The victorious bells
11:42 The unbroken legacy
Read the full essay
The Blood and the Bell: A History of the Goa Inquisition, with full sources.
