THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC HISTORY OF GOA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE COMMUNIDADE SYSTEM: 1750-1910 ••-it 31 THESIS SUBMITTEI5" *.°1- TO THE GOA UNIVERSITY FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY BY REMY ANTONIO DIANO DIAS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF DR. PIUS MALEKANDATHIL \ • //0 \ :;1 : 4 t ilE3P.At7v att 71 0 Department of History Goa University - Goa January - 2004 CERTIFICATE I certify that this thesis entitled "The Socio-Economic History of Goa with Special Reference to the Communidade System: 1750-1910", submitted by Remy Antonio Diano Dias for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History, Goa University, is a record of research work done by him during the period from 2000 to 2003 when he worked under my guidance. The thesis has not previously formed the basis for the award of any degree, diploma, associateship or fellowship to Remy Antonio Diano Dias. I affirm that this thesis submitted by Remy Antonio Diano Dias represents the independent work carried out by him under my supervision. <t• Place: Taleigao Plateau, Goa N d$ Dr. Pius Malekandathil a ; Date: *1 b t \ Guiding Teacher • // \'s A e Dr. N. S. Bhat c.Le 2-3 o 9.-R.,o,L05t-ek) GoA.;. Head, Dept. of History, (t; • Goa University \%--•• < tc_b a DECLARATION I hereby declare that this Ph.D. entitled "The Socio-Economic History of Goa with Special Reference to the Communidade System: 1750-1910", submitted to Goa University forms an independent work carried out by me in the Department of History, Goa University under the supervision of Dr. Pius Malekandathil, and this thesis has not previously formed the basis for award of any Degree, Diploma, Associateship, Fellowship or other similar titles. Place: Taleigao Plateau, Goa Remy Antonio Diano Dias Date: ° " Research Fellow Countersigned by liZA/LIL--zscs Dr. Pius Malekandathil Guiding Teacher ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This initial step into the research field is possible thanks to the caring and helping hand extended by many who really love and promote the cause of historical research. Their help and guidance enabled me not only to do the research in a bright light of perspective, but also to peep into some of the dark corners of history. I owe very much to them and wish to place on record my deep indebtedness to them. First of all, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Pius Malekandathil, my guiding teacher. It is solely due to the special care, love and encouragement as well as his inspiring guidance that this thesis has witnessed fruition. His magnanimity in allowing me to consult his personal books and documents as also his sharing of personal experience in the research field of history helped me to draw analytical conclusions with little difficulty. The intellectual discussions with him helped in not only widening my vision but also instilled in me a desire as well as the required confidence to undertake this foray of mine into the research field. As and when the clips were down he has always been around to extend helping hand. As I write this my eyes are filled realizing the enormous help given by him over the last four years of our association. Little that I can do is express my deep gratitude to him for everything he has been doing in making this research work more easy and scientific. I also wish to place on record my sincere thanks to the Fundacao Oriente that awarded to me a Long Term Scholarship along with travel grant, for working in the Archives and Libraries of Portugal. Special thanks go to Dr. Sergio Mascarenhas, Delegate of the Fundacao Oriente in Goa who took keen interest in my research project and went out of his way in making things easy for me in Portugal, both in providing accommodation on my reaching at Lisbon and also in providing the honorarium in time. The delegates and the secretarial staff of the Fundacao Oriente have been always helpful both in Goa as also in Portugal. I remember with nostalgia my association with people like Nelson Ferreira, the Librarian of the Fundacdo Oriente at Palacete do Armador, as also Jose and Anobela, the in-charges of the Scholars' Hostel at Olaias, Lisboa. The three made me feel at home and the long conversations and animated discussions helped me to vastly improve my spoken Portuguese. I am grateful to them. I express my sincere gratitude to Prof Teotonio R. de Souza, of the Universidade de Lusofona, who readily agreed to supervise my research activity in Portugal. The discussion with him and the insights offered by him during my stay there in Portugal has helped to instill in me courage to conduct this research and activated my critical faculties for dispassionately analyzing the facts and data collected for the research project. I remember with all gratitude the help extended to me by the secretarial/office staff of the different Libraries and Archives in Goa and Lisbon, who offered their service in a manner that made me feel that a researcher is much valued. I wish to place on record my deep gratitude to Shri Bhaskar Nayak, former Principal of Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Quepem, Goa, and II presently Director of Higher Education, Government of Goa, for going out of his way in strongly recommending a one-year Study Leave even when my research was in a nascent stage. I am highly obliged to him. I am also thankful to, the Government of Goa, my employer for sanctioning the Study Leave and for granting the necessary permission to proceed to Portugal to take up the Long Term Scholarship Awarded by the Fundae ao- Oriente. I wish to thank Dr. John B. Fernandes, as also Dr. B. A. Gomes, Principal of Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Quepem, Goa, for their timely help in accomplishing this research. Above all, I am thankful to the Government of Goa, my employer for sanctioning the Study Leave and for granting the necessary permission to proceed to Portugal to take up the Long Term Scholarship awarded by Fundaedo Oriente. I am very much thankful to Dr. N. S. Bhat — Head of the Department of History, Dr. Pratima Kamat — Reader in History, Dr. Ujjayan Bhattacharya, and the other faculty members of the Department of History, Goa University, for offering all possible guidance and help during the period of my registration as a doctoral research student. I also thank Dr. Charles J. Borges and Dr. Delio Mendonca, for the suggestions and comments given from time to time. Last but not the least I express my deep gratitude to my family, especially to my wife Ms. Jennefer Tricia Almeida and daughter Reaney Tessie Dias. The sacrifices made by them and the patience endured in the face of the many hardships that.they encountered, during this period and especially after I left for Portugal, are but many. This work is seeing the light of the day largely due to their sacrifices. I am deeply obliged and grateful III to them. My gratitude is also due, to all the other family members, well-wishers and friends who helped in one way or the other during the period of my research work. Remy Antonio Diano Dias. IV CONTENTS Acknowledgements I — IV List of Tables V — VIII List of Appendices IX - X Abreviations XI I. Introduction 1 - 34 II. The Evolution of Gauncaria System and a land-based Socio-Economic order 35 - 94 III. Agrarian Relations in Rural Goa: 1750-1910 95 - 193 IV. Agriculture and Agricultural Production in Goa: 1750 - 1910 194 - 263 V. Goan Communidades as Social Welfare Institutions 264 - 334 VI. Trade and Commerce in Goa: 1750-1910 335 - 395 VII. Emigration: Goa's Transformation from an Agrarian Based Economy to Remittance Based Economy 396 - 432 VIII. Conclusion 433 - 442 Appendices 443 - 587 Glossary 588 - 595 Bibliography 596 - 627 List of Tables, Graphs, Map and Diagrams (1) Table showing the number of Communidades in Goa in the 20 11 century 96 (2) Table showing the jonns of the gaunkars and culacharins in different villages of Goa and the dividends earned 112 (3) Table showing the land holding pattern in Goa in the twentieth century 157-158 (4) Diagram showing land ownership pattern among the Communidades, Private Proprietors, as well as Religious and Charitable Institutions 159 (5) Table showing the rice producing areas under the control of the Communidades in Goa 159-160 (6) Table showing the revenue earned by the Portuguese Administration from the villages denominated Bens Nacionais for the period 1882-83 to 1896-97 164-165 (7) Table showing the value of the estates owned by the convents in Goa and the revenue earned 167 (8) Table showing the transfer of landed property to the Communidades after the expulsion of the Jesuits from Goa 171 (9) Table showing the transfer of landed property to the Private Proprietors after the expulsion of the Jesuits from Goa 172 (10) Map showing the khazana lands of Goa 174-175 (1 1 ) Table showing the revenue and expenses of the Boucos in some of the Communidades in 1900 178 (12) Table showing the pension paid to the various Dessais of Goa in 1850 192 V (13) Details about the forced payments made by the Camara Geral of Salcete to the Portuguese government in the 18 th century 199 (14) Graph showing the increase in production of paddy during the period from 1777 to 1820 214 (15) Graph showing the increase in production of paddy during the period from 1820 to 1835 215 (16) Diagram showing the land utilization pattern for agricultural purposes in Goa for the year 1870 226-227 (17) Table showing the average cereal requirements of Goa in 1910 237 (18) Table showing the average imports of rice in Goa during the period from 1905 to 1914 238 (19) Table