GOA AND SRI LANKA SHARED A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP DURING PORTUGUESE ERA

PANJIM: While India and Sri Lanka share a special relationship, Goa and Galle saw their paths meet with the conquest by the Portuguese, high commissioner of Sri Lanka in India Prasad Kariyawasam said.  "Portuguese had their first introduction to Sri Lanka in Galle, a southern port city in 1505 and 'Goa, God's own paradise' and 'Sri Lanka, a land like no other' have common threads."

Comparing Goa to a smaller version of Sri Lanka in certain ways, Kariyawasam traced the island's history over aeons. While the island's history dates back to 2,500 years, he said Emperor Asoka's son, Mahinda, arrived in Sri Lanka in the 3{+r}{+d} century with the message of Buddhism.

The island like Goa was also a trading post for Arabian, Persian, Greek and Chinese traders, and inscriptions, coins and other antiques tell the stories of the past. And while the Portuguese introduced Christianity in Sri Lanka, Goan priest Fr Joseph Vaz revived it single-handedly toiling for a decade, Kariyawasam said.

Goa and Sri Lanka enjoyed ties during the Portuguese era. "It is said that oar-vessels left Goa for Ceylon every September." They took away elephants, coconuts and cinnamon from the island.