12th century Kadamba Jayakesi I, Velliapura site in present day Velim, South Goa .
There is lot of information translated by Kannada language experts from ancient stone
inscriptions on Velliapura of which they themselves don’t know the whereabouts of this
place, as this place being under Portuguese for 451 years is almost foreign to them. Very
little information about Velliapura is written by world renowned Historian George M.
Moraes in Kadamba Kula, the history of Ancient and Medieval Karnataka as he never came
across the 'coterie'. This place is very well known to small number of members of
the Coterie who come across the ghats to Velliapura Jayakesi site present day Velim every
year as pilgrim and link Roque Santana ancestors as the descendant of Hangal section of
this ancient family so as a search for this link as to why this pilgrims who come to pay
homage to this ancient place call themselves as 'Pilgrims'? and If this site
belongs to Jayakesi of Goa, why the family living in it is linked to the descendants of
Hangal?.
As gathered from the available resource that the Kadamba sovereigns were hailed as
'Kadambarasa' meaning supreme or Gods or Godly or sovereign therefore the members
of this coterie call themselves as pilgrims. The inscription stones in kannada found at
Velim site tell that descendant of Jayakesi of Goa, Suriya-Deva'1345CE slain-ed
sovereign of Chandrapura ' his wife 'Vinomaih-devi' was the daughter of
'Kadambarasa of Hangal', Purandara-Deva, died and was cremated in Velliapura by
her nephew Jayesha, grandson of Purandara of Hangal. According to Haliyal stone
inscription this same Jayesha founded a small timber business in Haliyal, over the
centuries family owned and operated this business which was only source of income for them
and their workers by hereditary who call themselves as coterie, was confiscated by the
British Governor George Harris in 1840's and most of this pilgrims are the descendants
of those workers . According to their
resource after the 1345 massacre the surviving Queen 'Vinomaih devi'
moved away from the furious Mohammedans in Chandrapura present day Chandor and was taken
into hiding in this royal compound by the foothills of Velliapura by the kingdoms
blacksmiths, her father and brother joined her sometime thereafter. After their death the
descendants were converted to Nazrani Christianity for fear of Muslims from there on
they are in possession and actually still lives here on this historical site. therefore
they hold that the family living in Velliapura site are the descendants of Purandarai of
Hangal.
Jayakesi I son of Shashtha-Deva was a very powerful ruler, 12 century copper carvings tell
us that princes and lords from neighbouring kingdoms traveled in to Chandrapur present day
Chandor to pay homage to Jayakesi who was the Sovereign of Konkan. Velliapura viragal
tell that Jayakesi I himself in a battle with his rival to retain this place Velliapura
won a decisive victory, which was his southern capital, three horses stables and few
officials residences were destroyed in the battle according to the Kannada version the
days following the victory the wives of the commanding officers or soldiers celebrated in
the royal compound by lighting and floating ‘ponti’ in the royal pond ‘Toloai’ in front of
the capital building. According to Portuguese record of 1922, a complaint was filed with
the Portuguese ‘Regdor’ by the ancestors of Roque Santana following the excavation of
that toloai.
The Coterie has always objects to the family members contesting direct elections in
present day Democratic setup saying it is of the people, by the people and for the people
and this family is not, In1962 they objected to Roque Santan contesting the first ever
election in Goa, earlier they hailed his 'Satyagraha' to bring Democracy to the
people of Goa. I first visited 12th century Kadamba Jayakesi I, Velliapura, site in Sept
of 2006, the compound gates were secured when I inquired with the neighbours they
directed me to a man who was looking after the house, he had given me the email address of
Roque Santana as (roquesantan(a)legislator.com). I had written to Mr.Roque Santana seeking
an appointment at this site in Velim to which he replied to me that at that time he was
in NY and he will get back to me when he returns to Velim, It was very sad to read the
news from the news papers of his sudden untimely demise. A year later I wrote to his
daughter Maria Suhashini in London she gave me the London based house address of
Venkatesha Upadhiaya who was member of the Coterie he never replied to me, I wrote to one
of his sons in USA but no reply. People in Velim had told me that the Portuguese installed
road side direction stone leading to the site went missing or destroyed in late 60’s and
were never replaced by the Archaeological survey of India. It is important that the family
or well wishers co-operate with researchers working within this above mentioned framework
in the interest of South Indian history.