This is one resounding piece of Portuguese-Maratha era history that came to light after 25 years of research initiated by Father Francis Correa of Vasai, and guided his team of experts to crystallise it in the past couple of years. “There were 80 churches built during the Portuguese era in the 1730s in (what is now) Maharashtra, with an average of two bells per church, plus other bells in educational institutions and convents, totalling to around 500-600. We have concrete evidence of 38 of those bells now adorning 34 temples in nine districts,” the 77-year-old Correa told IANS.