How did Portuguese India govern Goa, Daman, and Diu?

Portuguese India, which included Goa, Daman, and Diu, was governed as a single administrative province under a governor-general. This territory served as the headquarters for Portugal’s eastern empire, with Goa functioning as the capital and receiving civic privileges comparable to those of Lisbon.1

Administrative and colonial affairs were supervised by the Council of India (later the Council of Overseas), which managed military, civil, and religious matters. Locally, the Portuguese administration often maintained existing village customs, notably preserving the constitutions of 30 village communities in Goa while abolishing only the rite of suttee.21

The region also functioned as a single ecclesiastical province under the archbishop of Goa, who held the title of primate of the East. While the Portuguese implemented their own civil law in their colonies, the governance of these territories was characterized by a blend of direct colonial control and the integration of local social and cultural structures over four and a half centuries.13