Keri: A recently discovered brick structure on Akhada island has been attracting archaeologists and researchers keen to uncover the history associated with the site.After TOI reported the discovery, director of archaeology Nilesh Faldesai, along with a team, visited Akhada. Following a memorandum submitted by heritage enthusiasts seeking steps to protect the structure, Faldesai directed officials to cover it temporarily with tarpaulin during the monsoon.Akhada today has a predominantly fishing community, with families that migrated from different parts of Goa. The island was under the rule of the Sawantwadi Bhosales, while much of Goa was under Portuguese rule. In 1746, the Portuguese attacked the island and took control of the existing fort, given its proximity to Old Goa, then the maritime capital of the Portuguese Empire.Marine archaeologist Aniruddh Gaur, former National Institute of Oceanography researchers Vijay Khedekar and Prakash Babu, and archaeologist Varad Sabnis recently visited Akhada to re-examine the archaeological site and artefacts found in the area.Ramanand Tari of Akhada told TOI, “Our villagers were using the Patmaris, specially designed wooden canoes, for navigating the shallow coastal backwaters as well as the choppy waters of the Arabian Sea from the island. Whenever they excavated for the construction of new houses, they would come across broken terracotta artefacts, bricks and other objects made from locally available clay.”“With the discovery of the archaeologically important brick structure, many unknown facets of the history and heritage of this island village associated with the site will come to light,” said Vithoba Gawade, a postgraduate in archaeology who visited Akhada.
