The Portuguese conquered Goa in 1510 and soon converted a large number of Goans to Christianity. The state and the church worked in an open collaboration, suppressing the Hindu faith and penalizing heresy among converts. The Portuguese continued to rule Goa, until the Indian army marched in 1961. Nevertheless, the Portuguese left behind a legacy in architecture, culture and attitudes that showed distinctly in Goa, especially among Christians. Today, luxuriant foliage towers over the ruined remains of Goa`s many palaces, civic structures, and churches. Amon the latter, some splendid 16th and 17th century structures of the old colonial capital, Old Goa, survive. Ranging in style from the early colonial adaptations of metropolitan prototypes to later hybrid mixtures of Western and Indianized motives, this multitude of ecclesiastical structures offers much insight into the objectives and practical realities of Portuguese-sponsored construction in Goa. But the legacy was to create a problem. The Goan Hindu wanted to wipe out this legacy but the Christians wanted to preserve it. The Christians felt that it was this legacy which gave Goa a distinct identity."On the Cultural Identity and Ecclesiastical Architecture of Colonial City Goa, India."Journal of international area studies 11, no. 4 (2008): 121.
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