A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c20.s3.4

c20.s3.4

Active propagation of Christianity, however, began only after the arrival of the Portuguese and of St Francis Xavier (c. 1545). But these efforts did not make much headway except among the lower classes, and what is more, they led to the rise of acute schisms and quarrels between the new Catholic Christians and the other sects that had already established themselves in different parts of the country. The coming of other Christian nations like the Dutch only added to the confusion. We have already seen that the Portuguese policy of turning religious propaganda to political use roused the resentment of even the tolerant rulers of Vijayanagar and their feudatories.