Whether we accept these amounts or not, there can be no manner of doubt that the richness of the temples was very great, and the reason is easy to see. The country had always been subject to Hindu kings, and treasures had year by year accumulated. The Brahmans exacted gifts and payments from the people on all occasions. Kings and chiefs, merchants and landowners, vied with one another in presenting rich offerings to their favourite places of worship; and when it is remembered that this practice had been going on from time immemorial, it need be no matter for wonder that the man who first violently despoiled the sacred buildings departed from the country laden with an almost incredible amount of booty. Colonel Dow, in his translation of the works of Firishtah (i. 307), computes the value of the gold carried off by Malik Kafur at a hundred millions sterling of our money.
CHAPTER C
Portuguese Viceroys and Governors of Goa
(A.D. 1505 TO 1568.)
A.D.
Dom Francisco de Almeida (VICEROY) 1505
— 1509
Afonso de Albuquerque (GOVERNOR) 1509
— 1515
Lopo Soares de Albergaria (GOVERNOR) 1515 — 1518
Diogo Lopes de Sequeira (GOVERNOR) 1518
— 1521
Dom Duarte de Menezes (GOVERNOR) 1521
— 1524
Dom Vasco da Gama, Conde de Vidigueria (VICEROY) 1524
Dom Henrique de Menezes (GOVERNOR) 1525
— 1526
Lopo Vaz de Sampaio (GOVERNOR) 1526
— 1529
Nuno da Cunha (GOVERNOR)
1529 — 1538
Dom Garcia de Noronha (VICEROY) 1538
— 1540
Dom Estevao da Gama (GOVERNOR) 1540
— 1542
Martim Affonso de Sousa (GOVERNOR) 1542
— 1545
Dom Joao de Castro (GOVERNOR AND CAPTAIN-IN-CHIEF) 1545 — 1547
,, ,, (VICEROY) 1547 — 1548
Garcia de Sa (GOVERNOR)
1548 — 1549
Jorge Cabral (GOVERNOR)
1549 — 1550
Dom Affonso de Noronha (VICEROY) 1550
— 1554
Dom Pedro Mascarenhas (VICEROY) 1554
— 1555
Francisco Barreto (GOVERNOR) 1555
— 1558
Dom Constantino de Braganza (VICEROY) 1558 — 1561
Dom Francisco Coutinho, Conde de Redondo (VICEROY) 1561 — 1564
Joao de Medonca (GOVERNOR)
1564
Dom Antonio de Noronha (VICEROY) 1564
— 1568
[The above List is extracted from Mr. Danvers's work, "The Portuguese in India" (vol. ii. p. 487). The author continues the List to the present day.]
NOTES
[1] — Translation of the "Chronica dos reis de Bisnaga", written by Domingos Paes and Fernao Nunes about 1520 and 1535, respectively, with historical introduction. Includes bibliographical references.
[2] — The letters from China were copied by a different hand.
[3] — Barros was apparently never himself in India, but held an official position in the India Office in Lisbon. His work was completed in four Decadas. Couto repeats the fourth DECADA of Barros, and continues the history in eight more DECADAS. The first three DECADAS of Barros were published in A.D. 1552, 1553, and 1563, bringing the history down to 1527, under the title of DOS FEITOS QUE OS PORTUGUESES FIZERAM NO DESCUBRIMENTO E CONQUISTA DOS MARES E TERRAS DO ORIENTE. His fourth DECADA, published by Couto, dealt with the period A.D. 1527 to 1539, and contained an account of the events that occurred during the governorships of Lopo Vaz de Sampaio and Nuno da Cunha. Couto's own eight DECADAS covered the subsequent period down to 1600. The combined work is generally called the DA ASIA. Couto completed his publication in 1614. The fourth DECADA was published in 1602, the fifth in 1612, the sixth in 1614, the seventh in 1616, the year of his death. Couto spent almost all his life in India, for which country he embarked in 1556.