The book covers a variety of topics on Indo – Portuguese history giving altogether new dimensions to it. It elaborates on the maritime history of the Portuguese in the East in the 16th and 17th centuries including the serious European rivalry they faced. It also throws new light on the plight of the Portuguese on account of their miserable losses in the North. It includes a very interesting topic of ancient Indian and Indo-Portuguese numismatics. While touching upon evolutionary projection of the Medieval Period in India, it reveals twists and turns in the relations between Shivaji and the Portuguese. It lays focus on the social life in Goa in the first half of the 18th century and brings out a seminal contribution on the Suryapan issue which hitherto was the lost chapter in Goa’s social history. Hundred years of the development of archaeology in Goa and an overview of the entire 20th century Goa form highlights of this thought provoking research work.
Dr. P.P. Shirodkar hails from an illustrious family of Goa, his father being a prominent freedom fighter and the first Speaker of Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly. Dr. Shirodkar was associated for a decade with Free Press Journal of Mumbai as the Chief Sub-Editor, after which he worked as Director for about two decades at the Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museum, Goa besides working as the Executive Editor of the Goa Gazetteer. He was the founder Editor of the research journals Colloquium and Purabhilekh- Puratatva. He is recognised as an expert in Portuguese Palaeography. He had been associated with Goa University right from its inception in 1985 in various capacities and has also guided three PhD scholars. He has contributed extensively to Goan history, art history, archaeology, museum, numismatics, anthropology and etymology during the last 50 years.
