Indian Christianity Since the Arrival of Portugese

After visiting Saint Thomas Mount and San Thome Basilica in Chennai, Susan and I flew into Goa yesterday.  Goa, the smallest of all Indian states and the latest territory that became part of free India, is known for its churches and wonderful beaches. Shortly after Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese explorer, came to the Malabar Coast in 1498, the Portuguese colonists defeated the local rulers of Goa and kept it till 1961, when the Indian army annexed the Goa into a union territory, and in early eighties it became an Indian State.  Perhaps the most lasting impression the Portuguese made may have been in transforming the Indian Christianity. The influence of the Catholic Church brought here by the Portuguese was so great that it overpowered the already established 1500 year old Christian Church started by Saint Thomas.  In Goa, we visited the St. Catherine's Chapel, Saint Francis of Assissi Church, and the Church where the 500- year-old body of Saint Francis Xaviour is encased in glass box.  It is a pilgrimage site for hundreds of thousands of people of all religious beliefs. We observed people lighting candles and giving offerings for the favors they received. Churches are ubiquitous in Goa.  So are bars and beach going foreigners. We spend the whole day visiting churches, museums, and a beautiful spice farm.  We got to put only our toes in the nice warm waters at the beautiful Kolva beach, because we forgot to pack our swimwears when we left our hotel in the morning.