Very interesting. The version I had was that Timon’s was the admiral of the
fleet of the Raja of Vijaynagar who was surrounded by five Muslim kingdoms and
if these combined they could vanquish him . He therefore had to attack each one
of them individually, separately. Goa which belonged to the kingdom of Bijapur,
was suggested to be allocated to the Portuguese after they saw their power in
Cannanore.
This account is not dissimilar but has a slightly different bent.
Best regards,
Chico.
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HOW A HINDU PRIVATEER HELPED THE PORTUGESE CONQUER GOA ?...
Goa, despite its miniscule size, presents a larger than life face to the world.
People from all over the world clamour to come down here - Goa the only State,
where the number of visitors is twice its population. Considering that Goa is
just another stretch of the Konkan Coast, between Malwan and Karwar, what is it
that makes Goa so different, so desirable?
For an answer, one has to go back five centuries to the year 1510, as to how
Afonso de Albuquerque came to conquer Goa. Delio de Mendonca writes...
“The assault of Goa was not part of the Portuguese plans of conquest. Afonso de
Albuquerque had no royal instructions to conquer it just as he had an explicit
programme or orders to conquer Malacca, Hormuz and Eden. The Hindu chiefs of
Goa had written to Timoja or Timaya an exiled Hindu from Goa and then the
Admiral of the Honavar fleet about how they were being exploited by the Muslim
subjects of the Adil Shah and pledged support to Timoja in the event of him
agreeing to help them to change this situation. Timoja informed by the
oppressed Goan Hindus of the favourable conditions to oust the Muslims from the
City of Goa, persuaded Albuquerque and his captains to conquer it. The Hindus
of Goa together with Timoja’s party helped Albuquerque to conquer it.”
Since the 14th century the Deccan had been divided in two antagonistic
entities: on the one side stood the Bahmani Sultanate, and on the other stood
the hindu rajas rallied around the Vijayanagara Empire. Continuous wars
demanded frequent ressuplies of fresh horses, which were imported through sea
routes from Persia and Arabia. This trade was subjected to frequent raids by
thriving bands of pirates based in the coastal cities of Western India. Timoja
acted both as a privateer (by seizing horse traders, that he rendered to the
raja of Honavar ) and as a pirate who attacked the Kerala merchant fleets that
traded pepper with Gujarat. Timoja operated off Anjediva island with two
thousand mercenaries under his command and at least fourteen ships.
Timoja met Vasco da Gama's fleet off Anjediva in 1498, but the Portuguese
admiral suspected him of being a spy and refused his advances. In 1505, he
attracted the Portuguese viceroy Francisco de Almeida to an estuary and, after
keeping him waiting for three days, appeared before him richly attired and
offered him his services and a token tribute. In 1507 Timoja warned the viceroy
of the upcoming siege of Cananor by Calicut forces and supplied the fortress
during the siege. At the end of 1507, when a Mamluk fleet under Amir Husayn
supplemented the Calicut forces, Timoja becomes the main informant of Francisco
de Almeida. Soon after the Battle of Diu, Timoja met the Vijayanagara emperor
Krishnadevaraya and offered him a rich tribute. He then prompted the Portuguese
to conquer Goa, the main port for the horse trade. The city had been conquered
from Vijayanagar by the Bahmani Sultans in 1469, and passed to Bijapur. In late
1509, the remains of the Mamluk fleet defeated in the battle of Diu had taken
refuge there.
After the conquest of Goa, Timoja was put in command of the Indian troops loyal
to the Portuguese. However, he soon was relieved of his command due to his
refusal to follow orders. The command of the Indian troops was given to a
pretender to the throne of Honavar, and Timoja returned to piracy. He was made
prisoner after a raid, and died by opium poisoning soon after being taken to
the Vijayanagar capital
The Portuguese, when they set sail for the East were not aware, of the
existence of faiths other than Islam. Muslims were their historic enemies,
having conquered and occupied Portugal for centuries. Their interest was to
outflank the Muslims, to gain supremacy over the seas. Thus an alliance with
the Hindus, who lived in fear of the Muslims, was a natural choice.
And who was Timoja ?
History records his name as Timaya Nayak. There are various accounts about him.
He claimed to have been born in Goa, but escaped to Honavar after the conquest
of Goa by Adil Shah. He has been variously referred to as an admiral, as a
privateer, as a brigand, as a protector. The fact remains he was powerful and
influential, whom everybody courted.
Records indicate that Timoja expected Albuquerque would deliver the city, to
him. But it was not to be. Instead he was appointed as Aguazil, (an
administrator and representative of the local people) and was put in command of
the native troops, who had joined the victorious Portuguese forces. But, he was
soon divested of his powers, because of protests from other Hindus and his
failure to follow orders. Timoja resumed his previous activities, but was
captured after a raid and was taken to the Vijayanagar capital where he died,
of opium poisoning. Fearing for their lives, his family fled to Goa.
What is the fate of the descendants of Timoja ?
There are no documented records. Nevertheless a strong oral tradition persists
that the family settled at the northern extremity of a village, Calata. It is
not known whether the family was originally from Calata but has lived here ever
since, owning large tracts of land and enjoying the status of gauncars
(original settlers). After embracing the Catholic faith, the family took the
surname Jeremiah. Some five or six generations ago, as there was no male heir
to the family, a daughter of the house had a matri-local marriage (ghor
zanvoim) with a groom, bearing the surname Menezes from Batim/Goa Velha, Ilhas.
Thus the family surname became Jeremiah e Menezes. The last but one, of this
branch, Napoleao married Bernadette Gracias and the couple had two sons and
four daughters. The elder Gabrielinho married Clelia Rodrigues. But the couple
had no surviving issues. The younger Rev. Remegio Antonio Timoja de Jeremiah
Menezes was a priest. It is understood that Timoja has been part of the family
name, for generations. The house itself is known locally as “Oja Ghor.” The
term “Oja” being the last syllable of Timoja.
One of the four daughters, Vitoria was married to Robinson Coelho (with links
to the Pandavas?) from Aquem. She died at childbirth and the surviving child
was named after her deceased mother. The younger Vitoria, married Joaozinho
Caldeira and the couple have two daughters and three sons. The elder son also
named Napoleao died, tragically after a fall, from a building, under
construction. The other Alexandre lives in the UK and the youngest William
presently occupies the ancestral house, with the spacious front and backyards,
hosting open air events under the name “Napolean’s Landmark”.
Interestingly, Priyanka the elder daughter of Napoleao, now a budding lawyer
based in London married Sha Ahmin, a member of the community to fight whom
Timoja had enticed Albuquerque to Goa. And it is an irony that if Timoja were
not to induce Albuquerque to conquer Goa, Priyanka would not be eligible to
obtain Portuguese passport, travel to the UK and meet her fiance ! The wheel
has taken half a millennium to turn full circle ...
The credit for laying the foundations, to make Goa what it is, certainly goes
to Timoja ...
Source:~ Article by Radharao F Gracias in Herald Goa
