In 1526, Portuguese ships arrived in Mangalore, and the number of local converts to Christianity slowly increased. However, a sizeable Christian population did not exist there until the second half of the 16th century, when there was a large-scale immigration of Christians from Goa to South Canara. They were reluctant to learn the local languages of South Canara and continued to speak Konkani, the language they brought from Goa, so that local Christians had to learn Konkani to converse with them. After this migration, the skilled Goan Catholic agriculturists were offered various land grants by the native Bednore rulers of South Canara. They observed their traditional Hindu customs in conjunction with the newfound Catholic practices, and preserved their lifestyle.