ABSTRACT
Th e most splendid and famous period in Goa's history was in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, when it was the center of a vast Portuguese maritime empire, but its history goes back much further. It became part of the Indiawide empire of the Mauryas in the third century B.C. and subsequently passed through the hands of several regional Hindu empires. In the eleventh century, under the Kadamba Dynasty, it grew into a major commercial power, with the emphasis on sea trade. The region's coastal location and relatively good harbors have made it a center of maritime trade for much of its history.
