A cross to pay homage to

AGASAIM: The teeming port of Gopakpattan on the banks of Zuari had receded into relative obscurity long ago, but vestiges of its glorious past and even archaeological remains of its global links are being crassly obliterated by neglect.
A cross with unique architectural features at Dandi in Agasaim, and believed to be the site of perhaps the first archaeological find of the old port’s links with Persia circa 6th century, has now been reduced to a mere heap of mud and stones.
Lying in a serene corner of Agasaim, barely 500m north-west of the Zuari bridge, this cross outside St Peter’s chapel holds sentimental value for researchers, as another small granite cross with an inscription in Persia’s Pahlavi language was found within its decaying structure.
“The unique half broken granite cross is a valuable find for Goa’s history, as it resembles other crosses found on the rim of Indian Ocean,” says Fr Cosme Costa, a historian and priest of Pilar Society. The cross is two-and-half feet in height, about one foot in breadth and six inches in thickness. Adorned with a lotus pedestal, it has a depiction of the Holy Spirit descending on it.
The existence of Christianity in Goa before the advent of the Portuguese has been always known. Famed traveller Ibn Batuta in 1342 and St Francis Xavier subsequently had referred to the presence of Christians in Goa. More evidence of it could be obtained through references in books.
But after Costa found the piece of history in April, 2001, archaeologists and researchers were agog, as it was clinching proof of Christianity in Goa. “The cross proved beyond doubt that an Asian version of this faith was alive here a few centuries before the Portuguese arrived,” Costa said.
The finding also opened up avenues for research of the port’s historic past. Pius Malekandathil, then a reader of history department at Goa University consulted a Pahlavi expert, Ranabir Chakravarti of Calcutta University. The expert verified the antiquity of the inscription and stated that it could date back to the 6th century.
Considered an archaic form of modern Persian, crosses with similar Pahlavi inscriptions were also found in Anirudhapuram in Sri Lanka, Kottayam, Muttuchira, Kadamattam, Alengad and Mylapore, where St Thomas died as a martyr.
Prof John Everaert, a Belgian maritime historian, who had attended a history seminar in Goa about 14 years ago, had stated that the Dandi specimen bears a distinct resemblance to the Mylapore cross.
Historical records indicate that Sassanid dynasty of Persia took over the trade on the west coast circa 476 after the fall of the Roman empire. By then, Christianity had already spread in some parts after St Thomas arrived in 52AD.
A few words in Portuguese were also found at the bottom of the cross. According to Costa, South Indian Christians were adhering to Syrian rites for centuries. The Portuguese attempt to litanize the rites led to a conflict. In 1653, they took the Koonam Khuris oath in Kerala and drove out the Portuguese from their base in Cochin. A little later, the Portuguese removed the Pahlavi cross and installed a Latin cross at the site. The Portuguese inscription may have been done in 1642.
The old port area is slowly losing its heritage character. Vestiges of the port, particularly a huge wall believed to be an integral part of it, has collapsed and virtually melted away. Scores of small ships at anchor or sailing in or out of the extensive bay and traders milling around in the shore areas may have presented a glorious picture of the port’s grandeur till 14th century.
In time, the crumbling cross in Dandi may disappear from the site. But the Pahlavi cross, now safe in the Pilar seminary museum, will remain as the crucial evidence of Gopakpattan’s glorious past.
“A comprehensive identification, listing and grading of heritage assets should be undertaken on an immediate basis, as this will be the first step before any conservation measures can be initiated,” says Raya Shankwalker, an architect.