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Goa

Specialty Definition: Goa

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

• Goa is a state of south-western India; see Goa (state)
• The city of Goa, former capital of Portuguese India is now called Old Goa
• The current capital of Goa state, formerly "New Goa", is now Panaji
• Goa is a genre of music; see Goa trance music
• A Goa is a type of antelope; see Goa (antelope)

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Goa."

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Goa (antelope)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Goa (procapra picticaudata), also known as the Tibetan Gazelle, is a species of antelope which may be a member of genus Gazella and which inhabits the Himalayan region.

A typical Goa stands about two feet tall at the shoulder and weighs around 50 pounds. Males have long, tapering, ringed horns, reaching lengths of up to 14 inches. Females have no horns; neither have distinct facial markings. They are gray in color, with a white underbelly. Mating season is in December, with young born the following May.

The Goa is considered endangered, due to over-hunting; fewer than 150 are thought to remain in the wild.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Goa (antelope)."

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Goa (state)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Goa is a state (since 1987) of India, situated on the south-west coast, with an area of 3702 km² and a population of 1.35 million. From 1510 until 1961 it was a Portuguese colony, and the principal component of Portuguese India. The state capital is Panaji, also called Panjim.

After India's independence in 1947, the underground freedom movement in Goa grew and support for it from across the border increased considerably. Goa became part of India after 450 years of Portuguese rule on December 19, 1961, becoming an Indian Union Territory and later a state.

The region still retains many features from the period of Portuguese rule, including Catholic churches. However, it remains the least converted former Portuguese colony in the world, with only 27% of the population adhering to Christianity.

Few Goans speak Portuguese now, although the language lives on in place names and some family names. English is the most widely spoken foreign language, and shops in tourist areas invariably have signs in English. Some shops also have signs in Finnish.

View southwards of the Goan coastline

The local language is Konkani, an Indo-European language related to Hindi. It is spoken by 1.5 to 2 million people in Goa and surrounding areas.

The region is famous for its excellent white sand beaches, and in the 1960s was a popular destination on the Hippie trail. Today the region has a booming tourist industry, and many large hotels have been built in the last twenty years.

Political History

After a millennium of relatively stable Hindu rule, two centuries of alternating Hindu and Muslim dynasties ended in Goa's conquest by the Portuguese admiral Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510. After losing the city briefly to its former ruler, the Muslim king of Bijapur, Albuqurque returned in force, massacring the Muslim inhabitants.

Goa had become important as a starting-point of Muslim pilgrims from India to Mecca, as a mart with no rival except Calicut on India's west coast, and especially as the centre of the import trade in horses (Gulf Arabs) from Hormuz, the control of which was a vital matter to the kingdoms warring in the Deccan. It was easily defensible by any power with command of the sea, as the encircling rivers could only be forded at one spot, and had been deliberately stocked with crocodiles.

As Portugal's first territorial possession in Asia, Goa was the base for Albuquerque's conquest of Malacca (1511) and Hormuz (1515). Albuquerque intended it to be a colony and a naval base, as distinct from the fortified factories established in certain Indian seaports. He encouraged his men to marry local women, and to settle in Goa as farmers, retail traders or artisans.

These married men soon became a privileged caste, and Goa acquired a large Eurasian population. Goa became the capital of the whole Portuguese empire in the East. It was granted the same civic privileges as Lisbon. Its senate or municipal chamber maintained direct communications with the king and paid a special representative to attend to its interests at court. In 1563 the governor even proposed to make Goa the seat of a parliament, in which all parts of the Portuguese east were to be represented; this was vetoed by the king.

In 1542 St. Francis Xavier mentions the architectural splendour of the city; but it reached the climax of its prosperity between 1575 and 1625. Travellers marvelled at Goa Dourada, or Golden Goa, and there was a Portuguese proverb, "He who has seen Goa need not see Lisbon."

Merchandise from all parts of the East was displayed in its bazaar, and separate streets were set aside for the sale of different classes of goods- Bahrain pearls and coral, Chinese porcelain and silk, Portuguese velvet and piece-goods, drugs and spices from the Malay Archipelago.

In the main street slaves were sold by auction. The houses of the rich were surrounded by gardens and palm groves; they were built of stone and painted red or white. Instead of glass, their balconied windows had thin polished oyster-shells set in lattice-work. The social life of Goa's rulers befitted the headquarters of the viceregal court, the army and navy, and the church; luxury and ostentation becoming a byword before the end of the 16th century.

Almost all manual labour was done by slaves; common soldiers assumed high-sounding titles, and it was even customary for the poor noblemen who congregated together in boarding-houses to subscribe for a few silken cloaks, a silken umbrella and a common man-servant, so that each could take his turn to promenade the streets, fashionably attired and with a proper escort.

There were huge gambling saloons, licensed by the municipality, where determined players lodged for weeks together; and every form of vice, except drunkenness, was practised by both sexes, although European women were forced to lead a kind of zenana life of seclusion, and never ventured unveiled into the streets; they even attended at church in their palanquins, so as to avoid observation.

Albuquerque and his successors left almost untouched the customs and constitutions of the thirty village communities on the island, only abolishing the rite of sati (widow-burning). A register of these customs (Foral de usos e costumes) was published in 1526, and is an historical document of much value; an abstract of it is given in R. S. Whiteway's Rise of the Portuguese Empire in India (London, 1898).

The appearance of the Dutch in Indian waters was followed by the gradual ruin of Goa. In 1603 and 1639 the city was blockaded by Dutch fleets, though never captured, and in 1635 it was ravaged by an epidemic.

Its trade was gradually monopolized by the Jesuits. Thevenot in 1666, Baldaeus in 1672, Fryer in 1675 describe its ever-increasing poverty and decay. In 1683 only the timely appearance of a Mughal army saved it from capture by the Marathas, and in 1739 the whole territory was attacked by the same enemies, and only saved by the unexpected arrival of a new viceroy with a fleet. This peril was always imminent until 1759, when a peace with the Marathas was concluded.

In the same year the viceroy transferred his residence from the vicinity of Goa city to New Goa (in Portuguese Nova Goa), today's Panaji, which became the official seat of government in 1843, effecting a move which had been discussed as early as 1684. Old Goa city's population fell steeply during the 18th century as Europeans moved to the new city.

Tourism in Goa

Tourism is concentrated mainly in the north of Goa, around coastal towns such as Baga and Calangute. It was adversely affected in the last couple of years by fears arising after September 11th and religious strife in Gujarat.

View northwards of Fort Aguada, south of Baga

Goa's excellent beaches and unique mix of hippie and traditional Indian cultures make it a popular tourist destination for foreigners and locals alike. Birdwatching is another attraction for tourists. With a huge array of birds in a small province, Goa is an easy introduction to Asian birding. The respect for life that is part of the local culture means that most wildlife is very approachable.

External links

• History of Goa
• Portuguese India Banknotes

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Goa (state)."

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Goa trance music

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Goa trance is form of electronic music and is a style of trance music which originated in the Indian region of Goa.

The music has its roots in the popularity of the Goa region in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a hippie mecca, although the actual Goa trance style would not appear until much later. As the tourist influx tapered off in the 1970s and 1980s, a core group remained in Goa, concentrating on improvements in music along with other activities such as yoga, recreational drug use, and various New Age pursuits.

The introduction of techno style and technique to Goa led to what would eventually become the Goa trance style; early pioneers included Goa Gil and Mark Allen. Many "parties" (similar to raves) in Goa revolve entirely around this genre of music; Goa is also often played in other countries at raves, festivals and parties often in conjunction with other styles of trance and techno.

Goa is essentially "dance-trance" music (and was referred to as "Trance Dance" in its formative years), and as such has an energetic beat, almost always at 4/4 and often going into 16th or 32nd notes. A typical number will generally build up to a much more energetic movement in the second half of the track, and then taper off fairly quickly toward the end. Generally 8-12 minutes long, Goa tracks usually have a noticeably stronger bassline than other trance music and incorporate more organic "squelchy" sounds.

Goa trance parties have a visual aspect aswell, the use of fluro (fluroecent paint) is common in clothing and decoration. The images are often associate with topics like aliens, hinduism and other religious (especially eastern) images, mushrooms (and other psychedelic imagery), shamanism and technology.

Goa trance has a significant following in Israel, brought to that country by former soldiers returning from recreational "post-army trips" to Goa. A great deal of Goa trance is now produced in Israel, but its production and consumption is a global phenomenon.

Goa Trance effectively morphed into psychedelic trance during the latter half of the 1990s. Both styles are generally non-commercial and underground compared to other forms of trance. The goa sound is more likely to be heard at outdoor parties and festivals than in clubs and places like Ibiza. For a short period in the mid '90s it enjoyed significant commercial success with support from DJs like Paul Oakenfold. The artist man with no name probably came the closest to being a goa trance "star".

On the internet one of the oldest meeting places for fans of Goa trance is the 604 mailing list.

Popular artists include:

• Hallucinogen
• Infected Mushroom
• Astral Projection
• Man With No Name
• Koxbox
• X-Dream
• Space Tribe
• Cosmosis
• Psysex

External link

• 604 mailing list
• Goa Gil's Home Page
• What is Goa?
• Infected Mushroom (Israel)
• Liquid Connective (UK)
• Nice article that explores the phenomenon of Goa trance.

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Goa trance music."

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Old Goa

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Founded in the 15th century, the city of Goa in south-western India was under Portuguese rule from 1510 until its incorporation in the Republic of India in 1961. It was the administrative seat of Portuguese India until 1843, although the Viceroy's residence was transferred in 1759 to the future capital, Panaji.

See also: Goa (state)

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Old Goa."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Goa

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Modern Usage: Goa

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Commercial Usage: Goa

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Image Slideshow: Goa

Photos: Goa More pictures...

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Digital Photo Gallery: Goa
 

"Bath in the river" by Yvan Lagarrigue Commentary: "Haing a little bath in a river. Goa, India."	"Juggling the sun" by hagit Commentary: "Arambol beach, Goa."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Goa

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Usage Frequency: Goa

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Usage in Company Names: Goa

Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

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Expressions: Goa

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Goa

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Modern Translation: Goa

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Derivations: Goa

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Rhyming with "Goa"

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Anagrams: Goa

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