The Portuguese Inquisition in Goa 

‘Dellon wrote that “During the months of November and December, I heard every morning the cries of those to whom the torture was administered. It was inflicted severely. I have seen many persons of both sexes who have been crippled by it. One of them was a companion in my prison who had suffered the Queen of Tortures.” This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024).

More about the Portuguese Inquisition 

The Inquisition was established in Goa in 1560 by the Archbishop of Goa, Francisco de Castro. The primary aim of the Inquisition was to enforce religious orthodoxy among the local population, particularly targeting converts to Christianity and those suspected of practising Judaism or Islam in secret. 

The Inquisition was under the jurisdiction of the Portuguese Crown and operated independently of the Spanish Inquisition. It had the authority to investigate and prosecute cases of heresy, apostasy, blasphemy, and other religious offences within the Portuguese colonial territories in India. The methods employed by the Goa Inquisition were brutal. They included torture, imprisonment, and execution. Suspects were subjected to interrogation and coercion to confess to heretical beliefs or practices. Those found guilty faced severe punishments, including burning at the stake, confiscation of property, and exile. 

The main targets of the Goa Inquisition were the indigenous population of Goa, as well as converts to Christianity from Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Many individuals were accused of secretly practising their former faiths or of harbouring sympathies for non-Christian religions.The Portuguese Inquisition in Goa was eventually abolished in 1812 by the Marquis of Pombal, the prime minister of Portugal. The abolition was part of a broader effort to reform and modernise the Portuguese state and reduce the influence of the Catholic Church in secular affairs.

To his credit, Claudius Buchanan appears to have just as shocked by the Portuguese Inquisition in Goa as he had been by self-immolation at the Rath Yatra 'Juggernaut' Festival in North India. He had no sympathy for Portuguese Colonial 'justice', for Inquisition Torture Methods or for the Heresy 'trials' in Goa.