The Auto-da-fé (Portuguese for Act of Faith) was a horrifying spectacle of religious persecution carried out under the Goa Inquisition, a tribunal established by the Portuguese to enforce Catholic orthodoxy. It was an annual public event designed to punish individuals accused of heresy, particularly Hindus who had converted to Catholicism but secretly retained their native customs. The ceremonies, marked by forced confessions, imprisonment, and brutal executions, represent one of the darkest episodes of colonial rule in India.
Origins of the Goa Inquisition
The Inquisition was a judicial institution of the Catholic Church established in the 12th century in Europe, primarily to root out heresy among Christians. It was later enforced in Portugal in the 16th century, where it targeted Jews and Muslims who had converted to Christianity but were suspected of secretly practicing their old faith.
The Goa Inquisition was introduced in 1560 under the orders of King Sebastião of Portugal, largely due to pressure from Jesuit missionaries, who saw Goa as a prime territory for Christian expansion. The primary aim was to enforce strict Catholic practices among new converts and suppress Hindu influence. The Church Provincial Council of Goa in 1567 introduced a series of anti-Hindu laws, banning Hindu rituals and even prohibiting Christian converts from maintaining contact with Hindus.
Auto-da-fé Procession: A Public Spectacle of Fear
The Auto-da-fé was a grand yet terrifying public ceremony held in Goa’s central squares, typically attended by high-ranking Portuguese officials, clergy, and common citizens. The event followed a carefully staged sequence:
- Accusation and Trial – The Inquisition Tribunal, led by the Chief Inquisitor, summoned individuals suspected of crypto-Hinduism (practicing Hinduism in secret), blasphemy, or apostasy. Suspicions often arose from informants or forced confessions.
- The Procession – The accused were paraded through the streets in a sanbenito (a humiliating penitential robe) while priests preached against heresy.
- Sentencing and Punishment – The convicted faced punishments ranging from public flogging, fines, imprisonment, exile to Mozambique, or execution. Those found guilty of serious offenses were burned at the stake.
- Symbolic Executions – If a suspect had died before trial, their effigies were burned in their place to serve as a posthumous condemnation.
The Inquisition was responsible for burning Hindu scriptures, prohibiting Hindu priests from officiating weddings, and dismantling Hindu religious institutions.
Hindu Resistance and Cultural Survival
Despite the violent suppression, Hindus in Goa resisted and found ways to preserve their traditions:
- Relocation of Temples – After Portuguese forces razed Hindu temples, the local population secretly moved sacred idols and scriptures outside Portuguese territory, where new temples were established.
- Crypto-Hinduism – Many converts outwardly followed Catholic customs but continued their Hindu rituals in secrecy.
- Documenting Atrocities – The brutality of the Goa Inquisition was documented by both European writers and Indian historians. The 19th-century poet Lydia Sigourney wrote about the horrors of the Inquisition in her poem The Destruction of the Inquisition in Goa, describing the suffering of the persecuted.
The End of the Goa Inquisition
The Goa Inquisition was officially abolished in 1812, following pressure from European Enlightenment thinkers and political shifts in Portugal. However, its long-lasting effects continued to shape Goa’s religious and cultural landscape. Hindu traditions that survived the Inquisition are still practiced today in regions outside Portuguese influence.