Sixteenth-Century First Nagari Konkani Inscription Discovered in Goa

A significant breakthrough has been made in the evidence of written Konkani in the Nagari script, thanks to researcher and history professor Dr. Rohit Phalgaonkar. An inscription in Nagari Konkani, dating back to 1579, has been found in Goa.

Dr. Phalgaonkar, professor and the coordinator of the Museum of Archaeological Studies at Sant Sohirabanath Ambiye College & Research Centre in Pedne, has installed a four-century-old sculpture of Kalbhairav. He retrieved the idol from the holy lake at the Shri Chamundeshwari temple in Pilgao, located in Bicholim taluka.

With the assistance of the temple committee, led by President Tushar Tople, Dr. Phalgaonkar procured this idol, which had been immersed in the holy lake during the installation of a new deity. 

On the backside of the Kalbhairav statue, he discovered a three-line inscription carved in Nagari script. The inscription contains words such as गोंयें सिंहासनी, गोंएं, and गोंयांत चंडिका, which represent the typical style of Konkani writing. 

Additionally, the inscription features the word माघ फाल्गुण, which refers to the month of Falgun in the Hindu calendar, pronounced as फाल्गुण in Konkani. This month generally falls between mid-February and mid-March.

The inscription includes two dates: श्री शालिवाहन 1501 शके, corresponding to the year 1579, and श्री शालिवाहन 1505 शके, which translates to the year 1583 in the Gregorian calendar. 

Dr. Phalgaonkar remarked, “It appears that the idol was made in 1579 and installed in 1583. At this moment, it is the first known Konkani inscription found in Goa.“

Despite this discovery, Dr. Phalgaonkar is eager to uncover more answers. Although not all the letters of the three lines are clearly legible, he is committed to further research to understand their meaning.

The unanswered questions, according to the researcher, include the purpose of mentioning two different years, the significance of the three lines, and whether the script used is Nandi Nagari or Dev Nagari.

Initially, he was able to obtain an ink impression, also known as Enstampage, with the assistance of Dr. Aditya Kumar Singireddy, an epigrapher from the Mysore office of the Archaeological Survey of India, while he was in Goa. 

Dr Phalgaonkar will also present his research paper titled “The First Sixteenth Century Konkani Inscription of Goa: An Analytical Study” at the 50th annual session of the Epigraphical Society of India, scheduled for November 7th and 9th in Kolkata.

FIRST INSCRIPTION IN GOA

To date, two pieces of evidence of the Konkani language have been found in Karnataka, dating back to the 10th and 12th centuries. Both inscriptions are located at Shravanabelagola, at the foot of the Bahubali idol, with the 10th-century inscription stating that Chavundaraya erected the idol:

श्री चाउंडरायें करवियलें  

श्री गंगराजे सुत्राले करवियले  

The second inscription, dating from the 12th century, indicates that Gangaraya built the compound wall. 

Previously, it was believed that these lines were in Marathi. However, researchers Dr. S. B. Kulkarni and Dr. Jose Pereira have scientifically established that these inscriptions are in Konkani, written in the Devnagari script.

Moreover, the recent exploration of an inscription by Dr. Phalgaonkar confirms that the Nagari script of Konkani was in use in Goa at the time the Portuguese invaded Tiswadi, Salcete, and Bardez—referred to as the Old Conquests. 

KONKANI IN THE NEW CONQUEST

Many historians have asserted that traces of Konkani written in the Nagari script could not be found in Goa because the Portuguese destroyed all such evidence after issuing an alvara (order) in 1684, which prohibited the use of the native Konkani language in Goa and made Portuguese mandatory. 

This order aimed to suppress and marginalize Konkani and was part of a broader policy of Portuguese assimilation that affected religion and culture, especially among recent converts to Catholicism.

However, some scholars challenge this claim by questioning why evidence of Konkani written in the Nagari script has not been found in the New Conquests, which the Portuguese did not conquer until the 18th century.

The inscription discovered by Dr. Phalgaonkar provides answers to historical questions regarding the region. 

Pilgao is located in the Bicholim taluka, an area that fell under Portuguese control following the New Conquests. The Bicholim fort was captured by the Portuguese twice: first in 1726 and then again in 1781, after which it became a part of the Estado da India (Portuguese Goa).

NAGARI & ROMI

Most historical literature from this period exists in the form of inscriptions or manuscripts, as the printing press had not yet been invented. Interestingly, the first printing press in Asia was established in Goa by the Portuguese in 1556, and most of the literature produced there was in Portuguese. 

The first notable writer was Jesuit priest Fr. Thomas Stephens, who, after studying the two languages used locally, printed and published ‘Krist Purana’ in Marathi (using the Romi script) in 1649. He later published ‘Doutrina Christam’ in Romi Konkani. Historians have confirmed that Fr. Stephens initially wrote the Konkani book but published it later. 

It is important to note that there was no printing press with Devanagari types available in Goa until 1853.

The discovery made by Dr. Phalgaonkar proves beyond doubt that Nagari Konkani was used by the locals in Goa during the 16th century, while the Portuguese priests printed Konkani in the Romi script in the 17th century. 

Additional investigation is needed to analyse all three lines of the inscription comprehensively, but Dr. Phalgaonkar observes that part of the script appears to be in the Nandi Nagari script. This script was used in the Deccan and South India, while Devanagari was used in other regions of India.

HISTORY OF THE PILGAO IDOL

Dr. Phalgaonkar’s initial research reveals an intriguing aspect regarding the temple of Shri Chamundeshwari. This temple was rehabilitated in Pilgao after the deity was relocated from Goa Velha, dating back to the Kadamba regime in Goa during religious conversions and the demolition of Hindu temples. 

The idol of Kalbhairav, the original deity of the locality, is widely venerated by the local trading class. It was not moved from the Old Conquests but belongs to the Pilgao village. 

This indicates that Konkani, written in the Nagari script, was utilized in pre-Portuguese Goa, particularly in the Hindu-dominated areas by the trading class that interacted closely with the populace.

According to Dr. Phalgaonkar, “The inscription suggests that it may have been donated by an individual named Govind Shet, and it appears that the sculpture was crafted locally by a Goan artist familiar with Konkani in the Nagari script.” 

The exact duration for which the deity rested at the bottom of the temple’s holy lake remains unknown and requires further investigation. However, Dr. Phalgaonkar obtained it in 2010 and has been researching it ever since.

Goa Stories, a digital YouTube channel, had recently featured the museum in Pedne, where Dr Phalgaonkar also showed the inscription. Watch the relevant part of the video here.