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this map was first published in 1596 in Linschoten's ITINERARIO ITINERARIO - VOYAGE OFTE SCHIPVAERT... Amsterdam: Cornelis Claesz, 1596 The most important description of the East Indies in the Age of Discovery, Linschoten's work was of tremendous importance, as it unlocked the secrets of Asian trade routes, once the exclusive domain of the Portuguese, for the rest of Europe Jan Huygen van Linschoten (1563-1611) a Dutchman born in Haarlem in 1563, directly helped pave the way for Dutch traders to break the monopoly enjoyed by the Portuguese with East India and Indonesia. As a result of his merchant training in Spain, he went to Goa in India where he secured a position as secretary to the Goan Archbishop. This gave Linschoten access to secret Portuguese documents including maps, trading details and critical nautical data relating to the colonies which he assiduously copied. The publication of 'Itinerario..' provided his countrymen with sufficient information to launch what would become a vast trading empire in the 17th century. Linschoten's practical experience lent authenticity to his work, and it remains one of the most important of all travel books.

Linschoten's ITINERARIO. was considered the single most significant source regarding the East and West Indies and numerous editions were published in Dutch, Latin, French, German, and English. ITINERARIO contained so much detailed and accurate information about shipping lanes, winds, and currents, that seafarers could use it virtually as a handbook. Many of his maps were in fact copies of the excellent models of the Portuguese cartographer Fernão Vaz Dourado." It was the most comprehensive account of the East and West Indies available at the beginning of the 17th century. it is the first work to include precise sailing instructions for the Indies (India), and, according to authorities, "it was given to each ship sailing from Holland to India." The plates included were scenes of Asia, particularly Java, China, and India. Linschoten's is an important work that served not only as a valuable record, but also as a catalyst for change in the balance of power amongst European trading nations in the east, When Linschoten returned from Goa to his home in the Netherlands, he did so at a time when the people of northern Europe and particularly his countrymen were especially interested in what he had to report concerning the trading activities of the Portuguese in the East. His most important and far-reaching observations concerned the gradual decline of Portuguese power in the East and her ability to protect her trade routes and monopolies. This, together with the trading possibilities he detailed, encouraged a series of Dutch, French, and English fleets to set sail for the Spice Islands, and beyond to China and Japan. Experts say that Linschoten's description of Goa is "one of the most original and reliable narratives prepared during the sixteenth century on life at the hub of Portugal's Eastern empire and still is regarded as one of the best sources for Goa's history at the peak of its glory

I vividly remember the news paper headlines when Goa was "liberated". The Indian army as well as the Navy played a role.