The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c7.s7.20

c7.s7.20

It is not likely that the Portuguese in the beginning of the sixteenth century with all their great schemes would have troubled themselves about the Konkan, if there had not been in it ports and marts of too great importance to be left in the hands of their enemies. But Chaul and Dábhol could not be so left, while the Portuguese could not spare men enough to establish themselves in these ports in the same way as they had determined to do at Goa. The state of the Musalmán kingdoms, which divided the Konkan among them, was however at this time eminently favourable to the designs of the Portuguese. The Northern Konkan as far south as Nágothna had always belonged to Gujarát² but the Southern Konkan had only just divided (as narrated in the last section) between the dynasties of Bijápur and Ahmadnagar. The rivalry which existed between these two³ was probably the cause of the Portuguese first obtaining a footing in the Konkan. The Ahmadnagar king; who had possession of the coast from Nágothna to Bánkot, admitted them into Chaul, and at a very early date accepted the protection of their fleets for the vessels which frequented his ports, and for that protection paid them a tribute, and allowed them to establish a factory at Chaul.⁴ This was between 1512 and 1521.⁵ And by the latter year the Portuguese had obtained permission to build a small fort there, and had command of the whole river.⁶ The captaincy of the fortress was already an important appointment in 1524, when Vasco da Gama took charge of the Viceroyalty there, as the first port touched at.⁷