Roland Francis in his post in Vol7 Issue 972 of Nov 11 2012 needs to be corrected on his assumption that the Mateus De Castro revolution was the first and significant uprising against the Portuguese and that there were no significant uprisings against the Portuguese for the next 200 years. The De Castro uprising perhaps was significant in the Catholic Church hierarchy, but the First significant Revolt against Colonial Occupation in THE WHOLE OF INDIA was carried out by the Villagers of Cuncolim on 25th July 1583 when 5 Jesuit priests, one Portuguese layman and fourteen Christian Converts were massacred by the villagers protesting the destruction of their temples and building of Churches on Temples demolished by the Portuguese which they considered Holy Ground. This is a fact which cannot be Disputed. The Villages of Assolna Velhi and Cuncolim were subsequently raided by Portuguese troops and the revolt was crushed after the Portuguese executed many elders of these brave villages and confiscated their lands. LEST WE FORGET.
Manuel (Eddie) Tavares.
