The Cuncolim Massacre or Cuncolim Revolt was an incident that involved the massacre and mutilation of Christian priests and civilians by Hindu chieftains in the Portuguese Goa village of Cuncolim on Monday, 15 July 1583.
Five Jesuit priests along with one Portuguese civilian and 14 Goan Catholics were killed in the incident. The local Portuguese garrison retaliated by executing the village chieftains involved, and destroying the economic infrastructure of Cuncolim.
Background
Following the Portuguese conquest of Goa by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, missionaries of various religious orders (Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits, Augustinians, etc.) were sent from Portugal to Goa with the goal of fulfilling the papal bull Romanus Pontifex, which granted the patronage of the propagation of the Christian faith in Asia to the Portuguese. To promote assimilation of the native Goans with the Portuguese people, the Portuguese authorities in Goa supported these missionaries.
Almost half of Salcete (present-day Salcete and Morumugão Sub-District) remained Hindu till 1575, but the city of Goa was almost completely Christian by this time. (Tiswadi was completely christianized by January 1563.) Cuncolim was a border village, inhabited by a majority Hindu population. It was prosperous compared to neighboring areas due to its fertile land, with abundant and fresh water from rivers descending from the hinterland of Goa. Surplus agricultural production had enabled this village to develop crafts of a very skilled order and it was known for its metal work. As Afonso de Albuquerque wrote in his letters back to Portugal, guns of good quality were manufactured in Cuncolim, which he found comparable to those made in Germany.
There were 12 Vangodds (Konkani: clans) of Gaonkars (landlords) in Cuncolim. Their names, in order of precedence, were Mhal, Shetkar, Naik, Mangro, xette, Tombdo, Porob, Sidakalo, Lokakalo, Bandekar, Rounom and Benklo. The Gaonkars, who held common ownership of the village and paid all taxes, were also the founders and caretakers of the main village temple.
Cuncolim depended on a permanent bazaar at the end of more than one caravan route, connecting it with the mainland through the Ghats of Ashthagrahar province. In keeping with the traditional fairs and religious festivities, the economy of Cuncolim depended upon its temple and religious celebrations. Due to this, there was an angry reaction from the Brahmin caste towards the attempts of the Jesuits who sought to establish Christianity in Cuncolim and its satellite villages of Assolna, Veroda, Velim and Ambelim in 1583. The abandonment of local temples by Goan Catholics would lead to the financial deprivation of the Brahmins.
The Gauncars of Cuncolim refused to pay taxes to the Portuguese authorities. They built temples illegally on lands owned by Christian converts. They also rebuilt temples that had been demolished by the Bahamani Sultanate and Bijapur Sultanate before the arrival of the Portuguese. Hence the Portuguese missionaries found it difficult to convert them.
The Portuguese chronicler Diogo do Couto described Cuncolim as "The leader of rebellions" and its people as "The dangerous of all villages of Salcete". Jesuit priest Alessandro Valignano described Cuncolim as 'rigid and obstinate' in its adherence to idolatory. This was due to their refusal to give up their native religions and customs.
The massacre
Five Jesuits, including Rodolfo Acquaviva, met in the church at Orlim on 15 July 1583 and then proceeded to Cuncolim. They were accompanied by one Portuguese layman (Gonçalo Rodrigues) and 14 native converts, with the objective of erecting a cross and selecting ground for building a church. Meanwhile, several villagers in Cuncolim, after holding a council, advanced in large numbers, armed with swords, lances, and other weapons, towards the spot where the Christians were.
According to Anthony D'Souza, writing in the Catholic Encyclopaedia, Gonçalo Rodrigues leveled his gun at the advancing crowd, but was stopped by Alfonso Pacheco who said: "We are not here to fight." Then, he addressed the crowd in Konkani, their native language, he said "Do not be afraid". Following this, the villagers attacked the party.