Where would you go if you were looking for Portuguese colonial history in India? Goa, first, and then maybe a few other regions in Western India.
But what about Tripura?
Few people outside Tripura know of Tripura’s Portuguese connection, so instead of us explaining the story, we met eminent educationist Helenn’ Carol D’Souza. We asked her to go down memory lane to recall the Christmas festivities of the late 70s and 80s when she used to participate in the grand celebrations in the sleepy village of Mariam Nagar, located on the outskirts of Agartala city.
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D’Souza, now in her fifties, vividly recalls how Christmas used to light up her whole village where Maharajas of Tripura gave settlement to 65 Portuguese families hundreds of years back.
“This is just not a regular festival. It is like a blessing for each family of Mariamnagar. We are the roots of Roman Catholicism in Tripura as well as other parts of the North East. This church: Shantir Rani is the oldest and first Roman Catholic church in Tripura and from here the other parts of North East. The mother Mary statue situated here that we worship in the church has been brought here from Italy,” she said.
Things were not always good, D’Souza explains. The church was demolished during the 1980 communal riots. However, the locals rebuilt the church. “In the 1980 riots, we faced several problems, and the church was destroyed. But we rebuilt the church. Generations after generations, traditional practices were inherited. You will find stars in every household. People cook delicious dishes, and the celebrations go on till the New Year. The Christmas Mela organised in the church draws lakhs of people. They make wishes to mother Mary, and when it is fulfilled they return next year,” she told EastMojo.
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Although most Tripura Christians are from the indigenous communities, Mariamnagar is a special case as people here worship mother Merry following rituals similar to Bengali Hindus. The altar of the holy cross could be found in most homes, resembling the Tulasi altar found in Hindu homes.
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A legacy of Maharaja Bir Bikram
When asked about the history of the settlement, D’Souza said, “I remember talking to my parents, my grandfather and the Parish priest when I was a young girl, I learnt that 60 families came to Tripura many years ago, when Maharaja Bir Bikram was the king of the princely state. Sixty families from Goa arrived in Tripura and the French and British were still in India. Maharaja wanted guards and security personnel for him and his palace. The males who had arrived then stood apart for their strong masculine appearance. They are more than six feet tall, and great warriors. Today, however, the current generation does not carry the same strength and chiselled physique. But some of the boys still resemble their Portuguese ancestors.”
According to her, when her grandfather and others arrived here in the state Maharaja stood at the centre of the paddy fields and directed them to take how much cropland they needed and serve the kingdom. “They were the best soldiers Tripura had. But those lands no longer exist. So much illegal construction, draining and illegal occupancy have destroyed the area’s greenery,” she lamented.
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Father Lenus of the mother Mary Church, who was transferred from Kolkata to Mariamnagar last year, told EastMojo that the Mariamnagar Christmas fair was perhaps the biggest fair he had ever seen. “Lots of people come and worship. Christmas carols are organized for a week till Christmas and people from all the communities participate in the festival,” he said.
Priya D’mello, a young girl of the settlement who had been assisting the people of her village in decorating the church. said, “Christmas celebrations officially start with mass worship on December 24 last followed by bursting of crackers. The next morning we participate in mass prayer again and the fair kicks off with that.”
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