So much has been talked about the Portuguese Goa that the history without colonialism seems a bit distant. In fact, the total expansion of Goa took place between 1510 to 1780 - from a tiny point on the map at Ilhas (or Tiswadi) to going outwards and shaping the map as it is now, it took two centuries for the Portuguese to establish their stronghold on the Konkan coast. This also makes us think how slow the whole colonisation process actually was and how innumerable resistances were made to halt the expansion. And so, till the 19th century, many villages and towns of Goa had retained their Hindu names, slightly distinct from what the Portuguese called them as. Some of the old names are described here.
Between 300 to 550 AD, the subcontinent was predominantly ruled by the Guptas, who were predominantly active in the north. In the Deccan (or Dakkhin), it were the Vakatakas and going further south it were the independent Kadambas between Vijayadurga (in today's Sindhudurg, southernmost Maharashtra) and Triparvata (near Dharwad, Karnataka) and had a coastal harbour at Aegidi, which is in today's Goa state. This could be either Agapur which was also known as Agastipura in ancient days and is located at the harbour of Zuari River, close to the city of Ponda, which itself was known as Anantaurja. But the Kadambas of Goa extended their reign later from the 10th to 14th century AD, just before the arrival of Islam in the region. The most important port was that of Gopakapattana (or Govapuri), a sleepy village very close to today's Velha Goa and the story goes that the ancient harbour was vacated by the Portuguese and they developed their own new harbour at Velha Goa. But one can easily confuse Gopakapattana as the old name for Goa when it rather was the stepping stones for what today Goa is.
Another important port of this era was Chandrapur (today's Chandor), which has an intriguing folklore attached to it. According to local legend, during the Kadamba era, when the Kadamba king Harihar was killed during an invasion—possibly by the Portuguese or other external forces—the villagers did not defend him. Enraged and grieving, the queen cursed the people of Chandor before taking her own life. The curse declared: “Every woman of this village will become a widow.” Even today, many locals migrate to other towns in Goa, fearing that the curse might affect their lives as well.
Bicholim is an important city of Goa which is now known as Dicholi. But in olden days, it was known as Dipakavishaya - a landmark site flourishing with trade and commerce during the pre-Portuguese era. The city is famously known for the Saptakoteshwar temple - a uniquely architectural beauty that being a Hindu temple has a Mughal dome and European styled assembly hall, thus marking a striking cross-cultural amalgamation. Not just this, during the Kadamba rule, it was initially conceptualised as a Jain temple and had been a victim of numerous attacks both by the Bahmani Sultans and the Portuguese, only be restored by the Marathas under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, thus retaining it's current shape and structure.
Bicholim also has a 17th century Islamic idgah, named Namazgah, which interestingly was constructed with the help of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in 1683. Akbar II or Akbar Shah II, the son of Aurangzeb rebelled against his father and was granted a refuge by the Marathas on the condition of being in alliance to defeat the troublesome Portuguese. Hence, the Maratha refuge granted the Mughal prince a piece of land wherein a Namazgah was constructed, that survived the Portuguese persecution and is still accessible but only to Muslims.
Ponda is another important city especially for Hindus as it serves a range of old and prominent temples of Goa. Known as Anantaurja in ancient times, the city has one of the most key sites for Hinduism - the Pandava Caves, which is technically closer to Khandepar (itself known as Kharegrama formerly). In Mahabharata, the Pandavas found refuge in these caves and prayed to Lord Shiva (and placed Shiva lingas) while they were under exile by Kaurava prince, Duryodhana. Another theory suggests that these caves also have Buddhist origin dating from 4th century AD, making it as an important Buddhist site in Goa. Another set of caves that are dug close to the Pandava Caves, are the monolithic caves that dates back to 11th century, and are technically temples carved out of single rock. Khandepar has few more such rock marvels that are hidden gems to Goa's tourism business.
Another mythological connection to a Goan town is found in Poinguinim, formerly known as Paingyapura. The Shri Parashuram Temple, believed to have been constructed in the 13th or 14th century, is tied to the legend of Lord Parashuram. According to the myth, Parashuram threw his axe from the southernmost tip of the land, and the regions of Kanara, Konkan, and Kerala emerged where the axe landed. This story symbolizes the divine creation of the Konkan coast and reinforces Poinguinim's historical and spiritual importance.
Similarly, there is Rayagrama (Raia), named after a Kadamba royalty, which later came to be known simply as Raia. The capital Panaji's former name is quite well known as Panjim (spelled as Pangim in Portuguese), but an older derivative comes from Pahajankali. Panaji or Panjim seems to be a corruption of the original Sanskrit name. Canacona was known as Kanvapura, although it is ambiguous whether the name is derived from the Kanva dynasty (based in Bihar, 73-23 BC), whose rulers had an influence in the region.
The Goa Kadambas were succeeded by the Islamic hegemony of the Delhi Sultanate, beginning with the Tughlaqs. However, the Tughlaqs had minimal influence on Goa, and there is no recorded documentation of them engaging in battles with the Portuguese. The Tughlaqs were soon replaced by the Vijayanagara Empire, which constructed several temples and shrines. The Vijayanagara Empire ruled Goa until the 15th century, after which the region came under the Bahmani Sultanate—an offshoot of the Tughlaqs.
The Bahmani Sultanate introduced mosques and Islam to Goa and developed it into a major trade hub connecting the empires of Oman and Arabia. It was this lucrative trade route that attracted the Portuguese. Their naval commander, Vasco da Gama, paved the way for Portuguese dominance in the region. Thus began the Portuguese era in Goa, which lasted until 1961, when the Indian Army conducted Operation Vijay, liberating Goa (and other Portuguese enclaves) and integrating it into the Indian Republic.
Below here are two maps of Goa - one during the Kadamba era with the ancient Hindu names, while the other during the 1950s just a decade before Goa became part of India. A table of 40 villages are mentioned with their ancient, Portuguese and current names.
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