AI Overview

The Portuguese Inquisition expanded into Asia during the 16th century to enforce Catholic orthodoxy across the colonies. While Goa served as the official bureaucratic headquarters of the Inquisition court, Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) was governed as a dependency under the administrative and religious jurisdiction of Goa, making it subject to the same aggressive policies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

The Goa Inquisition was a brutal judicial branch of the Portuguese Holy Office established in Goa in 1560 to enforce Catholic orthodoxy, target crypto-Hindus/Muslims, and suppress non-Christian faiths across Portuguese Asian territories, including Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

The operations, targets, and impacts of this period shaped both regions for centuries. [1, 2, 3]

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The Goa Inquisition (1560–1812)

The Inquisition in Goa was formally established in 1560 at the request of Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier to address insincere conversions. Headquartered in the former palace of Adil Khan in Old Goa, it operated for over 250 years. [1, 2, 3]

• The Targets: Initially focused on “New Christians” (Portuguese Jews who converted to Catholicism but were suspected of practicing Judaism in secret). It quickly expanded to target local Hindus, Muslims, and converts who maintained native traditions. [1, 2]
• Systemic Repression: Non-Christians were barred from holding public office, producing religious artifacts, or participating in village assemblies. The use of the Konkani language and local musical instruments was completely banned. [1, 2]
• Destruction of Heritage: Hundreds of Hindu temples were systematically demolished. Jesuit orders built Catholic churches directly over the ruins. [1, 2, 3, 5]
• Punishments: The tribunal arrested over 16,000 people. It utilized extreme torture and held public execution ceremonies known as Auto-da-fé where non-confessing heretics were burned alive. [1]

The Inquisition’s Impact on Ceylon (1597–1658)

Ceylon did not host an independent Inquisition tribunal. Instead, it fell under the religious jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Goa via the Padroado system. The island’s coastal areas became part of the Estado da Índia, where the local population faced the strict religious decrees of the 1567 Goa Council. [, 3, 4]

• Destruction of Religious Sites: Guided by decrees from Goa to eliminate non-Christian worship, the Portuguese destroyed hundreds of Buddhist and Hindu temples. Major historical institutions like the Sunethra Devi Pirivena in Kotte were razed, and Catholic churches were built using the plundered materials.

[1, 2, 3]

• The Tooth Relic Incident: In 1560, Portuguese forces captured an object believed to be the sacred Buddha’s Tooth Relic during a campaign in the Jaffna Kingdom. On the direct orders of the Viceroy of Goa, the relic was taken to India and publicly destroyed to demoralize the Buddhist populace. []
• Forced Conversions: Orphaned children were legally taken by force to be raised by Catholic orders. High-ranking nobility and coastal populations were pressured into mass baptisms through incentives, legal preferences, and systemic force. [1, 2, 3]

Comparison of Execution and Abolition

Feature	Goa Inquisition	Portuguese Ceylon
Institutional Form	Official Holy Office Tribunal and prison.	Administrative dependency under Goa’s decrees.
Primary Focus	Secret Judaism, local Hinduism, and Islam.	Eradication of Buddhism and Hinduism.
End of Rule	Abolished in 1812 due to British diplomatic pressure.	Ended in 1658 after the Dutch military conquest.

Extension to Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

• Jurisdiction: Ceylon’s religious and heresy cases fell under the supreme authority of the Goa tribunal rather than a local separate branch.
• Enforcement: Local clergy and vicar-generals in Portuguese-controlled maritime Ceylon gathered evidence, conducted preliminary arrests, and forwarded serious heresy cases or accused individuals directly to the main tribunal in Goa.
• Impact: Coercive conversion tactics, destruction of Buddhist and Hindu temples in coastal regions, and heavy civil discrimination against non-Catholics mirrored the policies implemented in Goan territories.

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If you want to look closer at this era, let me know if you would like to explore:

• The specific historical accounts written by prisoners like Charles Dellon.
• The linguistic legacy of Portuguese surnames left behind in Sri Lanka.
• The resistance movements led by local rulers like the Kingdom of Sitawaka. [1, 2]

AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses

22 sites

• Goa Inquisition – Wikipedia

After baptism, these new converts continued to practice their old religion in secret in the manner similar to crypto-Jews who had …

Wikipedia

• LankaWeb – Portuguese Inquisition in Goa and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) …

Nov 6, 2025 — St. Francis Xavier, a prominent Jesuit missionary, formally requested the establishment of an Inquisition in Goa in a 1545 letter …

LankaWeb

• A brief history of religious persecution & inquisition in …

Dec 29, 2019 — and started by the governments of Portugal as well as in Spain that punished converts to Christianity who would secretly practice …

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