Casa da Moeda – Celebrating 175 years of Panjim’s Mint House By Chryselle D’Silva Dias
Casa da Moeda, near Panjim’s Head Post Office was Goa’s Mint House from 1834 -1841. Literally meaning ‘House of Coins’, the term ‘Casa da Moeda’ is common usage for ‘Mint’ in Portuguese. The building stands in the former Tobacco Square (Largo do Estanco), now also known as ‘Post Office Square’. According to ‘Walking in Panjim’, Tobacco Square was once the most important part of the city as trading in tobacco was planned in order to rescue the failing economy. The proximity of the river bank substantiates this as the river was the main means of trading and transport. All important buildings – the Treasury and Mint, the pillory, the chapel dedicated to S.Tomé, patron saint of builders, the market and the early houses of Panjim were built around this square. The earliest known owner of the building was one João Batista Goethalis followed by the Fazenda pública (Treasury). From 1834-1841, the Goa Mint functioned from here. The Mint was shifted to the Arsenal in 1841 after which there is a gap in our knowledge of the building’s history until 1863. Records indicate that in 1863, the building was sold to António Inácio da Silva of Santa Cruz. From 1865 to 1902, he rented it out to the English telegraph. In 1904, heirs of da Silva sold the building to Dr. Miguel Caetano Dias, whose descendants continue to live here. The building is unusual in the sense that it is possibly one of the few buildings in India that was occupied by both the Portuguese and the British Governments at various points. The Mint in Panjim According to Damião Peres: Catálogo das Moedas Indo-Portuguesas do Museu Numismático Português 1975, the then Governor General of Goa, Dom Manuel de Portugal e Castro was unhappy with the quality of coins being made at the Mint in Velha Goa and ordered the shifting of the Mint to the new capital, Nova Goa, so that the work could be carried out under his supervision. The transfer was based upon the report of a competent commission appointed by the Viceroy and dated July 2, 1832. In his book, ‘Historical Notes on Goa’, António de Menezes calls it “an important document for the history of Indo-Portuguese numismatics”. With the decree of 6 October, 1834, the governor ordered the striking of rupias, pardaus and half pardaus from twelve mãos of silver and currencies of 10, 5 and 3 réis from two arrobas of copper, mãos and arrobas being units of weight prevalent at the time. These productions inaugurated the new Mint. In 1834, Portugal was witnessing yet another political upheaval with D.Maria II being restored to the throne of Portugal after being deposed by her uncle, Miguel, who was also technically her husband. This crisis was precipitated by the death of D.Maria’s grandfather, D. João VI of Portugal in 1826. He died without specifying which of his sons – Pedro IV or Miguel who was in exile for leading a revolution against his father - would be his legal heir. Pedro IV was, at the time, King of Brazil and while most people considered him to be D. João’s legal heir, nobody wanted him to reunite the thrones of Brazil and Portugal. On the other hand, Miguel was not a popular choice either, although his supporters were ready to bring him back to the throne. In an attempt to appease everyone, Pedro IV abdicated the throne of Portugal in favour of his then seven year old daughter Maria da Glória with the condition that she marry her uncle Miguel who would be Regent until she was an adult. Miguel pretended to accept but deposed Maria from the throne as soon he arrived in Portugal, proclaiming himself King. Maria was forced to flee and spent many years in various courts of Europe. In 1834, Pedro IV attacked Miguel and forced him to abdicate, after which D.Maria was restored to her throne. Goa in the meantime, was not immune from these changes. News must have travelled rather slowly, but the effect of all these political imbroglios can be seen in the fact that only in 1835, a year after D.Maria was reinstated, a Provisional Government in Goa revoked coins with the bust of D. Miguel and replaced them with coins featuring the bust of D. Maria II. The Coins The Portuguese had minted coins in Goa ever since Afonso de Albuquerque laid claim to it in 1510. Over the next two centuries, Mints were set up in Goa, Cochin, Bassein, Daman, Chaul (60km south of Mumbai in Raigad district), and Diu. In Goa, Portuguese gold issues in Goa were named sao-tomés after St Thomas, the apostle of India. Silver coins bore different designations according to their value i.e. silver xerafim, pardau, the silver rupia, or the silver bastião. Other coins were copper tangas (sometimes silver) and the humbler bazaruco used by locals for bazaar purchases. The coins were round and had no edge-milling. Compared to the coins being minted elsewhere in the Portuguese or the British Empire or even in other parts of the Indian sub-continent, the coins minted in Goa displayed poor technical ability. Coins were disparate in weight and shape, and shabby in design. In 1841, the Mint moved to the Arsenal in Panjim after which production seems to have been suspended for a while. In the meantime, the Daman Mint began to function again after having been closed for nearly a century. The new Nova Goa Mint functioned from 1845-1869 after which it was closed. In 1870, coins were requisitioned from the Bombay Mint. In 1878, all existing coinage became obsolete after they were withdrawn and instead, silver and copper coins from the Calcutta and Bombay Mints were introduced as part of an Anglo-Portuguese treaty. The Personalities Several eminent personalities have lived and worked in Casa da Moeda after it became a private residence in 1904. General Dr. Miguel Caetano Dias was the first and only Goan to be designated as 'General' by the Portuguese government. He held several portfolios in Portugal and Mozambique and Goa, among them Director of Health Services and later as Director of Escola Medica and Military Hospital in Panjim. He was held in such high esteem that in his lifetime, a memorial was erected to him in the Escola Medica (the former Goa Medical College). The bust now stands in a garden in front of the Casa da Moeda. Dr. Victor Manuel Dias, eldest son of Dr. Miguel Caetano, was also a distinguished physician. 2009 marks his 60th death anniversary. He is remembered for heading the Saneamento de Velha Goa – an ambitious (and successful) plan in 1948-49 to eradicate Old Goa of its scourge of malaria and disease. He was also an inventor, had his own laboratory (Laboratório Sida) and rendered the first ever radio broadcast in Goa in 1946. For upwards of 15 years, he was also the special surgeon in charge of the body of St. Francis Xavier and had the duty of inspecting annually the Saint’s incorruptible remains and reporting on them to the Government and the ecclesiastical authorities of Goa and Portugal. His siblings include the eminent engineer Luis Bismarck Dias who is credited with designing the city of Vasco da Gama, the Praça do Comércio in Panjim and the Dona Paula Miradouro among others; Dr. António Dias, renowned surgeon who was instrumental in revitalising Hospicio Hospital in Margão; and Álvaro Dias, eminent judge. The Casa da Moeda Festival To commemorate 175 years of Casa da Moeda, the Dias family is organising a three day festival from 8-10 November. The festival will include talks on numismatics, architecture, local history and Indo-Portuguese furniture. Also on the cards is a Fado concert by Sonia Shirsat and a quiz on numismatics and heritage by the Sunday Evening Quiz Club (SEQC). As the events are being held within the residence, the seating capacity is limited to about 40 to 50. There will also be an exhibition of paintings and photographs, both vintage and recent. For further details, including timings, please visit: http://casadamoedagoa.wordpress.com Preserving our Heritage Homes The world over, heritage homes are valued, treasured and supported by their governments. For example, in the United Kingdom, the National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk) currently protects over 350 historic houses, gardens, industrial monuments and mills. These locations are beautifully preserved and open to the public. English Heritage (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/) seeks to protect England’s historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood. In India, although the remit of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) does include ‘maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance’, there seems to be a lack of a comprehensive national policy towards oversees the preservation of heritage and historic homes. We hope that our government will draw inspiration from other countries that succeed in not only preserving local heritage but also sustain the local economy by cultivating a new genre of heritage tourism and generating much needed revenue in return. It is a win-win situation for everybody. CASA DA MOEDA FESTIVAL Sunday, 8 November Morning (8 am) Heritage walk conducted by GHAG (Limited places; please email diasfl...@yahoo.com to register) Evening (5.30 pm onwards) * Talk by Architect Gerard da Cunh * Fado concert by Sonia Shirsat Monday, 9 November Evening (5.30 pm onwards) * Talk by Maria de Lourdes Brava da Costa Rodrigues * Talk by Numismatist Fenelon Rebello Tuesday, 10 November Morning ( 7 am) : Commemorative Mass at S. Tomé chapel on the occasion of the 60th birth anniversary of Dr. Victor Manuel Dias Evening (5.30 pm onwards) * Talk by Percival Noronha * Talk by Architect Rajiv D’Silva * Panjim Open Philharmonic * Quiz by the Sunday Evening Quiz ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Published in the Herald, Goa - November 1, 2009 ______________________________ Chryselle D'Silva Dias Freelance Writer e : chryselle.dsilvad...@yahoo.com w : www.chryselle.net t : www.twitter.com/_cd
