| Goa has a long history stretching back to the 3rd century
BC, when it formed part of the Mauryan Empire. Goa was
later ruled by the Satavahanas of Kolhapur (in Maharashtra)
around two thousand years ago. It eventually passed to
the Chalukyas of Badami, who controlled it between 580
to 750. Over the next few centuries Goa was successively
ruled by the Silharas, the Kadambas and the Chalukyans
of Kalyani, rulers of Deccan India.
In 1312, Goa came under the governance of the Delhi
Sultanate. However, the kingdom's grip on the region
was weak, and by 1370 they were forced to surrender
it to Harihara I of Vijayanagara. The Vijayanagara monarchs
held on to the territory for the next hundred years
until 1469, when it was appropriated by the Bahmani
sultans of Gulbarga. After the dynasty crumbled, the
area came under the hands of the Adil Shahis of Bijapur
who made Velha Goa their auxiliary capital.
In 1498, Vasco da Gama became the first European to
set foot in India through a sea route, landing in Calicut
(Kozhikode) in Kerala, followed by an arrival in what
is now known as Old Goa. The Portuguese arrived with
the intention of setting up a colony and seizing complete
control of the spice trade from other European powers
after traditional land routes to India were closed by
the Ottoman Turks. Later, in 1510, Portuguese admiral
Afonso de Albuquerque defeated the ruling Bijapur kings
with the help of a local ally, Timayya, leading to the
establishment of a permanent settlement in Velha Goa
(or Old Goa). The Portuguese intended it to be a colony
and a naval base, distinct from the fortified enclaves
established elsewhere along India's coasts.
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