Subsequent History:

The Saraswats had, of course, their share of travails of history over the centuries. In 1294 A.D., in the wake of Allaudin’s conquest of the Deccan, temples and houses were pillaged and plundered. It was a century later that the stout-hearted Saraswat Brahmin, Madhav Mantri, joined hands with the Vijayanagar Ruler, Sri Hari Hara II, and ousted the Muslims from Goa.

In 1470 A.D., Bhamini Sultan, Mohamed Shah III, carried plunder and destruction into Goa. Forty years later, the Portuguese supplented the Sultan of Bijapur who was then holding sway, and they, in their turn, lost no time in calling upon the Saraswat Brahmins to embrace Christianity. A letter of the king of Portugal Joao III to the Viceroy Joao Castro says: "We command you to discover by diligent officers all the idols and to demolish and break them up in pieces where they are found, proclaiming severe punishments against anyone who shall dare to work, cast, make in sculpture, engrave, paint or bring to light any figure of an idol in metal, brass, wood, plaster or any other material, or bring them from other places; and against those who publicly or privately celebrate any of their sports, keep by them any heathenish frankincense or assist and hide the Brahmins, the sworn enemies of the Christian profession… It is our pleasure that you punish them with that severity of the law without admitting any appeal or dispensation in the least." (Sardar K.M. Panickar: Malabar and the Portuguese, pp. 186-87). The official figures show that in all 280 temples of Berdez and 300 temples of Salcette were destroyed. Of course, the Portuguese built churches in many places where the temples stood.

As a result of a decree issued in 1559 A. D., by King Joao III of Portugal threatening expulsion of non-believers in Christianity, especially Brahmins from Sasashti (Goa), 12,000 Saraswat families fled from the Salcette District of Goa. About 4,000 went north-east to settle down in Maharashtra and Indore, and others went south to settle in Karwar and South Kanara. (Rayasapatra of H.H. Upendra Tirtha Swamiji of Shree Kashi Mutt 1654 A. D., a record kept in Tirumala Devaswom Temple at Cochin.)