The Gaonkaria system existed on the basis of the fact that the co-owners of the land or the gaunkars gave an equitable share of the land to the other inhabitants
The elections to the Sociedade Agricola dos Gauncares de Cuncolim e Veroda were held recently. This body has been granted administrative rights over most of the land of Cuncolim and Veroda after a long battle in the court by the gaonkars of Cuncolim. The Kurushetra of Cuncolim began with the revolt of 1583. But how did the land of Cuncolim and its surrounding villages get into the hands of the Conde de Cuncolim and referred to as Condado de Cuncolim. Colonialism in principle signifies a complete takeover; however, in the case of most villages of Goa, except a few villages like Cumbarjua and Mayem, the communidade system which replaced the existing Gaonkaria system continued (comprising of the original settlers of the village). The communidades of the villages of Assolna, Velim, Cuncolim, Veroda and Ambelim, however, were simply confiscated!
The Gaonkaria system existed on the basis of the fact that the co-owners of the land or the gaunkars gave an equitable share of the land to the other inhabitants who were to provide essential services to the community. These gaunkars were hindu kshatriyas. These villages had a tradition where the youth served in the Adil Shahi army and the elders managed farming and marketing. After the 15th July 1583 revolt, and the loss of the life of five precious priests, the Portuguese government went on a rampage. A contingent of troops was sent by land under Captain Joao D’Silva to instil fear in the villagers by dispatching a flotilla along the River Sal to shoot down and bombard the inhabitants on either side of the river bank.
The youth of these villages who were trained in military warfare, arrayed themselves opposite the Portuguese military. Oral history speaks of a fierce battle fought at Zuza-Galli (Zuz or battle) and as the oral story goes the Portuguese infantry were routed. It was, however, a shortlived victory as the Portuguese reinforcements arrived and the local force had to make a strategic withdrawal. After the killing of the Jesuits, the Portuguese Viceroy, Dom Duarte Menezes retaliated by confiscating the villages of Assolna, Velim, Cuncolim, Veroda and Ambelim to the Crown.
As the local force was withdrawn, the Portuguese State punished the population with barbaric cruelty and took a bold decision to deprive the gaonkars of their land and property. Fr. Gabriel de Saldanha, in his book, História de Goa writes that the Governor of Rachol Don Francisco Mascarenhas marched a body of troops into these villages, murdering and plundering, without any distinction between the young and the old, men or women and the fair face of the land were reddened with the blood of the children of the soil. Every means was employed by the Portuguese Governor, in obedience to superior orders, to arrest and punish the leaders of the massacre.
The natives on the other hand according to Fr. Planton Faria in his book, ‘Cuncolim: Down the Ages’, offered sums of money to obtain amnesty, on the plea that their religious principles had obliged them to take vengeance on those who had outraged their Gods. They promised to be in the future faithful vassals to their Sovereign, if their religion and beliefs were not interfered with. The locals offered to dig a canal for the government to separate Salcete from Bijapur in order to keep off the armed hordes of Bijapur from invading the Portuguese territory. Till this time there was no response from the Portuguese authorities. However, the vengeance of the massacre was on their agenda later events unfolded. To implement their design they took the help of the envoy of the Adil Shah of Bijapur, Zeberque.
As an appeal was made by the envoy, 16 leaders were invited for peace talks to the Fort of Assolna. However, once inside the doors were closed and 15 leaders were brutally massacred. One Kalgo Naik, it is said, jumped in the river Sal and lived to tell the tale. The next step was the division of the land. Cuncolim and Veroda were bestowed on Captain Joao D’Silva in 1585 by the Viceroy Dom Duarte Menezes. This captain was the in-charge of the Fort of Malacca and was granted these villages for his meritorious services because he fought in the war in Bassein and Cochin. By 1586, Joao D’Silva ceded his right in favour of another fidalgo Don. Pedro Mascarenhas, who later donated it to the Jesuits. The ownership of Assolna, Velim and Ambelim was bestowed upon Dom Pedro de Castro, who, in turn, also donated it to the Jesuit priests.
Later all these properties were called Condado de Cuncolim created by the Kings letter dated 3rd June 1676 in favour of Francisco Mascarenhas, son of Joao Mascarenhas. It was only in 1741 that the lands were restored to the people for only three years from 1741-1743. After that the Jesuits once again reinstated themselves as the owners of the lands. In 1759, when the Jesuits were driven out of Goa by the Portuguese Prime Minister Marquis de Pombal, the communidades of these villages went into the hands of the government. To the benefit of the Jesuits it may be said that the large coconut, mango, jackfruit and cashew plantations in these villages were because of the initiatives taken by the Jesuits.
The loss of their land, enmity with the rulers and the rising population forced the people to migrate to Mumbai and other parts of India and also to far away Africa. Some decided to become seamen. The supervision of these confiscated lands was done by a representative of the condadoor procurator, called, foto by the local people. By 1840, this post was held by an official of the army. In 1931, the shares of the Velim communidade were acquired by the far away Carambolim communidade of Tiswadi. The shares of Assolna and Ambelim were sold to the people.
In 1949, one of the heirs of the Conde visited Cuncolim and put forth certain proposals to the gaonkars with the object of selling the properties. This suggestion was rejected, and they said that they deserved the full restoration of their land with damages paid. The Conde ordered the gaonkars to cease tilling of the land with the help of the police. This resulted in a case filed in the court of Quepem by the gaonkars through Sociedade Agricola dos Gauncares de Cuncolim e Veroda. Thereafter after the liberation of Goa, this land was declared as evacuee property, when again the gaunkars had to file a writ petition and the Sociedade was granted management and administrative rights. Like most civil disputes in Goa, it has not reached a point of resolution and this body till today has only administrative control over the lands and so the Kurushetra of Cuncolim continues…
(Dr. Sushila Sawant Mendes is an author and senior faculty of history at the Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Quepem).
