A likely purpose for including the religious figure in the plaque was to show that: Portuguese naval activities in the Indian Ocean region were favored by divine forces.
The Portuguese established several forts around the Indian Ocean between 1500 and 1510 because the Egyptians and the Indians were not on good terms. They dominated the spice trade during this period.
The plaque which they used during this period was marked with religious figures.
A likely purpose of this is to perpetuate the notion that their dominance of the Spice trade had divine backing.
Learn more about the Portuguese spice trade here:
https://brainly.com/question/20742214
