Biplab teaches Commerce and is keen to compile the history of his forefathers spanning four centuries. He descends from a long line of people who founded one of the earliest Portuguese settlements in Northeast India.

Though experts are divided in their opinion about the time and reason of Portuguese settlement in this tiny NE state, they mostly agree that settlements of the community on the Bengal frontier of the Mughal empire, like Bondashil in Badarpur district, Rangamati in Goalpara district and Barak Valley of Assam and Mariamnagar in Tripura, started as early settlements of Portuguese mercenaries in NE India.

Portuguese history in India

Portuguese history in India begins in 1498 when Vasco Da Gama’s fleet anchored off the port of Calicut (now Kozhikode). Their arrival through the seat route and subsequent settlements in India, such as Goa, Onor, Barcelor, Mangalore, Cannanore, Cranganore, Cochin, and Quilon, were mostly around seaport fortresses and trading ports. On the eastern coastline, Portuguese military posts and settlements grew along the Hugli River in Bengal.

But the Northeastern settlements had to rely more on adventurers and mercenaries than on trade. Some believe Portuguese settlements in Assam started with people brought by German adventurer William Rein Herr. Others believe many of these settlements were established by Portuguese mercenaries hired by local kings and chieftains to fight battles in the then East Bengal.

They claim that Tripura’s royal chronicle, ‘Tripura Rajmala,’ mentions these settlements, although it provides limited information, and there are various versions of the state’s royal chronicle.

Dr David Reid Syiemlieh, who worked on Portuguese settlements in Northeast India, writes that King Amar Manikya Bahadur engaged a group of Portuguese mercenaries in his army at Chittagong and Noakhali (now in Bangladesh) to fight the Mughals. They were later settled at Rangamati, the then capital of princely Tripura, which was later renamed Udaipur.

After Maharaja Krishna Manikya shifted his capital to Agartala in 1760 AD, these Portuguese settlers were resettled near the new capital city. Some of them served as cannoniers in the king’s army, while others worked as cultivators. They were given tax-free land at a place, which has since then come to be known as Mariamnagar.

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Speaking to indianexpress.com, author, veteran journalist, and historian Sekhar Dutta said the Portuguese settlements in Tripura were more a matter of limited options than of free choice.

“A few hundred Portuguese were arrested by the king of Tripura in battle at Chittagong, which was then under the Tripura king’s territory. They were given the option to either return home or settle in Tripura. They chose the latter option. All of them were once mercenaries, but some of them later served as gunners in the Tripura royal army, often manning the long-range guns or cannons. They were allotted some land for settlement,” Dutta said.

Tripura royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma agrees with most of this version, except for the part where the Portuguese settlers were termed ‘mercenaries’.

“Many of them were regular soldiers. They helped the king in battles and were settled here. They brought considerable tactical skills to the war effort, as they were well-versed in firearms. This was later incorporated in the royal army,” Pradyot told indianexpress.com.

He wished the local Catholic community of Mariamnagar and other Christian communities across the state a Merry Christmas on Christmas Eve and said he believes in an inclusive society.

Melting pot of cultures

Cutting across different regimes, Congress, Communists or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mariamnagar has been a rather unique melting pot of cultures and politics.

Atheist Communist leaders were often seen wishing and interacting with the Mariamnagar community during Christmas throughout their regime. The picture has not changed much in the saffron regime either, as large posters and banners with greetings from local BJP legislators, ministers and the state government were seen adorning the road to Mariamnagar from the NH.

The state-run tourism development corporation is funding a cultural festival in front of the ‘Shantir Rani Catholic Church’ or Queen of Peace Catholic Church.

A significant portion of Mariamnagar is now home to a diverse population. Many of the lands originally allocated to the settlers were sold off because education was not highly valued among them. As a result, many families relied on the proceeds from these land sales to support themselves.

“Not many of our ancestors who were settled here were interested in education. They sold off much of the property given by the kings. These days, there is a mixed habitation here. We have Hindus, Muslims, Christians and people of other religions living peacefully. There is no problem. But the dearth of land is now prodding many of us to take an interest in education and take up jobs,” Biplab Lagardo said.

Finding ancestral roots

Biplab said he had tried hard to put together the pieces of his ancestry’s history.

“It is a very tedious job. I tried hard and succeeded in tracing it back only to the 1860s. Many documents from the previous period were burnt during the 1980 riots in Tripura. I am trying to connect the dots, but I am told some of these documents are there with our community in Dhaka (Bangladesh),” he said.

Mariamnagar Church was the very first Parish in Tripura. The church was erected in the 1930s as a Parish for a small Christian community centred on the Portuguese habitations. Nine decades later, it is the oldest church in the state, with only around 40,000 Catholics, according to local sources. Overall, Tripura has 1,60,000 people from the Christian community as per the 2011 census, most of them from the Roman Catholic Church and Tripura Baptist Christian Union, the Presbyterian Church and Believers Church.

Father Abraham, who used to head the Mariamnagar Catholic Church until recently, said three Portuguese families, who first came to Tripura to help the king in battle, have kept some of their old traditions alive but no longer have much distinction.

“They were settled in Udaipur, which used to be the capital in those days. Later, they shifted to Agartala, where they were allotted non-taxable lands. They are living here and have mostly mingled with Bengalee culture. There is not much difference these days anymore, but they are keeping some traditions alive,” he said.

Father Leenus Uthimattathill, who now heads the Mariamnagar Catholic Church, said he and his colleague Father Anthony Mangalath, both from Kerala, held mass from midnight to hail the Christmas festivities, followed by morning mass Thursday, while a colourful fair is being organised by local traders to attract believers and tourists who visit the church.

The state government is also hosting cultural events to mark the day. Many people from the local Christian community are known to worship Christ and other Hindu deities in the same altar at their homes, since not all of the same family always belong to the same religion.

Speaking about such peculiar religious unity, Father Anthony said, “They live in a society with different religions. Upon hearing about others’ devotion to other gods, people need a refuge for peace or to settle problems. They sometimes go wherever they get peace. When Christians share offerings, deities, people feel that God is one. People want to join us after hearing about us.”

“Many visit here, considering it a religious place, and see our local Christian community lighting candles, kneeling and praying. These visitors sometimes join our Holy Mass and Adoration, feel a sense of peace, and are often attracted to Christianity. They ask for statues or Jesus, Mother Mary, rosaries, and many have later joined us in our sessions,” he said.

The young priest also said, as per his knowledge, Christians alone don’t come; others come and pray, some ask them to help them in mediating for parenting issues they face with children, advise them to overcome financial duress, matrimonial problems, and even superstitious beliefs.

“Our doors are always open for everyone. We pray for them, remember them in community prayers,” the priest said.

While Portuguese settlers in Goa, Cochin or Bengal had considerable influence on the local culture, the Tripura or Assam scenario is the exact opposite.

Authors like Partho Ghosh and Asoke Deb claim that since the Portuguese settled in smaller numbers here, they lost much of their ancestral culture over the decades and shifted to dominant Bengalee traditions.

Today, none of their descendants can speak Portuguese, and no one has visited Portugal. Most can’t read or understand Latin, as Bengali replaced Portuguese as their primary language within a few decades of settlement and replaced Latin in prayers some 20-25 years ago. Women in these families wear bangles and sarees or salwars. Many of them smear vermillion on their foreheads and even rarely cook traditional Portuguese cuisine.

Though the first few settlers have kept their religious rituals intact, they participate in major Hindu festivals like Diwali, Durga Puja etc.

“We don’t know Portuguese, nor can we read Latin. We heard from our parents that they changed prayers to Bengali some 20-25 years back. We would love to know more about our ancestry and learn Portuguese someday,” a local teenager said.

Being of foreign descent does not mean anything different anymore, they said, adding that she wishes to write her ancestral history someday.

A message of unity

Subhrajit Das, a civil engineering student from National Institute of Technology, Silchar in Assam, was seen visiting the church with his mother, Shipra Deb and her childhood friend Sima Talapatra.

Both women, in their fifties, said it was their first-ever visit to any Christian establishment despite having lived in Tripura all their lives. “It is our first time here. We have been here for a short while. We came for another matter but thought we would visit the church as well. It was a really good experience. Getting to see a different culture upfront gives us a significantly different experience,” said Shipra Deb, who originally hails from Udaipur, a city 50 km further southwards from Agartala.

Her son said he had not been to any Christian establishment ever before and found the practice of celebrating Christmas exciting.

“As a kid, we did celebrate Christmas, but it was mostly based on what we used to see on television. Knowing such a rich history of Portuguese settlers here and watching their descendants celebrate Christmas here is something different,” he said.

Narayan Chandra Paul, a retired teacher from Agartala, was seen visiting every nook and corner of the church with rapt attention. On being approached, he said he was the last of his family to have visited Mariamnagar.

“All my relatives have come here before, but I never did. You see, many of us like me were scared of visiting mixed habitations after experiencing ethnic crisis during the 1980 riots. Even though I came today, my relatives told me not to spend too much time alone and to return early. But coming here has really dispelled my fears. People here are so friendly. I have been visiting this church for quite some time today and nobody has prevented me from watching the structure and appreciating its architecture. Many were helpful to guide me as well,” he said.

“I will go back and return to visit here again, along with my family, tomorrow. All my fears have gone away,” he said happily.

Paul also said he often got scared watching the news, considering tensions in West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh.

“I watch the news and get scared more due to religious tensions in Bengal, Bangladesh. But visiting a place is necessary to understand it. After all, science and education don’t teach us to divide; politicians do. I believe in this policy: to each their religion, but festivals are for everyone,” he said.