.
Pronounced as "Mut" as sound in word "Hut". Mut is a religious place where religious society called "Mathgram" looks after it.

Geography

Margao is located at 15.30°N 73.95°E. It has an average elevation of 31 metres (102 feet).

Nestled on the banks of the River Sal

Sal River (India)

Sal River is a river in South Goa, India. The river opens near Cavelossim. Villagers here have been fighting to save the river from dredging.It passes through Margao, Navelim,Dramapur, Chinchinim, Assolna and drains itself into the Arabian Sea at Betul, Goa....

, Margão is amongst the oldest recorded towns in Goa. Margão is famous for the huge Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 style mansions which dot its landscape. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in Goa and includes several suburbs including Aquem

Aquem

Aquem is a census town in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India.-Demographics: India census, Aquem had a population of 4985. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Aquem has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 55% of the males...

, Fatorda

Fatorda

Fatorda is a town and a suburb of the city of Margao in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India.- Famous places :Fatorda had a technical institute run by Salesian priests. It hosts the relic of St. John Bosco during its world tour, on the 21st and 22nd August, 2011.Fatorda stadium is a...

, Gogol, Borda, Comba and Davorlim

Davorlim

Davorlim is a census town in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India.-Geography:Davorlim is located at . It has an average elevation of 31 metres .-Demographics:...

.

History

Margao in pre-Portuguese times was one of the important settlements in Salcete and known as Matha Grama (the village of Mathas) as it was a temple town with nine Mathas in temple schools. Most of the inhabitants were Brahmin

Brahmin

Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

s (GSB and Daivajnas). It was then famous for its many beautifully built temples. Long before the Portuguese came here, it had a university with a library. During the Portuguese conquest in 1543, Hindu temples were demolished and Catholic churches were built in their place. Almost all traces of Hindu settlements were wiped out. The first church to be built in Margão, and its replacement in 1579, were destroyed by raiders along with the seminary that had been built alongside. The present church was built in 1675.

The initial settlement of Margao grew from the site of the ancient Damodar Temple. The original temple was demolished and the temple tank

Irrigation tank

For etymology, see Storage tank#Etymology.In India, an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. . It can also have a natural or man-made spring included as part of a structure...

 was filled up to be replaced by the Holy Spirit church and church grounds. The Hindus carried their deity Damodar

Damodar (name of Krishna)

Damodar is the 367th name of Vishnu from the Vishnu sahasranama. The various meanings of the name are given as follows:...

 (a form of Lord Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

) across the Zuari Agranashini river to the Hindu territories held by the Sonde rulers. While the western side of the Church developed as a market place, the settlement grew on the eastern side, that is, the Borda region, with the church at its core and extended outwards.

The Holy Spirit main square is defined on one side by the church with its baroque architecture and the parochial house, and on the other side by the palatial mansions of affluent elite Catholics, positioned in a row. The Associação das Communidades building and the school being the odd exceptions. They add to its character and sense of scale. They have a maximum height of two stories, and balcões and varandas facing the square. Parallel to the church square is the commercial street (old market). There is also a landscaped area next to the church called Praça da Alegria (joy square).

Margao's importance as an administrative and commercial area grew with the increasing dependence of the surrounding towns and villages; leading to the administrative centre with the town hall at its centre being built in the south. The commercial market became attached to it and was hence called maud-gao or the market town of Goa, and since then the city has grown towards the east.

In 1961, Goa was incorporated into the Indian Union, and Margao was declared as the administrative centre of the district of South Goa

South Goa

South Goa is one of the two districts that comprise the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of 1,966 km² and a population of 586,591...

.

Demographics

India census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Margao had a population of 78,393. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Margao has an average literacy rate of 87.4%, higher than the national average of 74%: male literacy is 91%, and female literacy is 83%. In Margao, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Education

Margao hosts many prestigious schools and colleges. Among the schools known for excellence is the Mahila and Nutan English high school The Model English High School, popularly known after its founder Shri. Bhatikar, was established in the year 1935 and is one of the leading educational institutions in the state of Goa as per the curriculum prescribed by the Directorate of Education, Goa, and the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Goa. Manovikas High School now located in Sonsodo is one of the premier ICSE school in Goa. The other educational institutes in Margao include St. Joseph High School at Aquem, Presentation Convent (for girls), Fatima Convent (for girls) near Old Bus Stand.

Margao is also the location of three of the best colleges in Goa - Smt. Parvatibai Chowgule Cultural Foundations College of Arts and Science, Shri Damodar College of Commerce and Economics and Shree Damodar Higher Secondary School Of Science

Shree Damodar Higher Secondary School Of Science

Shree Damodar Higher Secondary School Of Science is a Higher Secondary School preparing students to appear for the HSSC examinations of the Goa Board Of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Porvorim, Goa, India.-Building:...

. There are also ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) which impart technical education.

Transport

The Margao Railway station is Goa's biggest and most important as it is a railway junction positioned at the intersection of the Konkan Railway

Konkan Railway

The Konkan Railway is a railway line which runs along the Konkan coast of India. It was constructed and is operated by the Konkan Railway Corporation...

 and the South Western Railway

South Western Railway

The South Western Railway is one of the 16 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Hubli and comprises Bangalore, Mysore divisions of the erstwhile Southern Railway and the reorganized Hubli division of the erstwhile South Central Railway which includes Hospet and Bellary. The division...

. Almost all trains passing through Goa stop here, and it is the gateway to south Goa. Hence Margao is used more commonly as a transit stop rather than as a tourist destination, by many people who either head off down south to Palolem (38 km) or to Benaulim

Benaulim

Benaulim also known as Banavali , is a census town in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a beach town a little south of Margao in Goa, India....

 and Colva

Colva

Colva is a white sand beach in the South Goa district of Goa, India. Colva beach is one of the longest in the world . On the weekend, the crowd explodes with locals as well. The beach also gets particularly busy in October, when hoardes of pilgrims come and visit Colva Church...

 which are about six kilometers away. Margao is connected by road to other cities like Mangalore

Mangalore

Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...

, Udupi, Karwar

Karwar

Karwar is the administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, India. It is a seaside town situated on the banks of the Kali river which is on the west coast of the Indian peninsula. The town lies about 15 kilometres south of the Karnataka–Goa border and 519 km north-west...

, Ratnagiri

Ratnagiri

Ratnāgiri is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri district in the southwestern part of Maharashtra, India. The district is a part of Konkan.The Sahyadri mountains border Ratnagiri to the east...

, and Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

 through national highway 17(NH-17). Also there is road which connects Margao to Ponda

Ponda, India

Ponda is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is located in the central part of Goa. Ponda lies about 29 km south-east of Panaji and 18 km north-east of Margao and is also the capital of Ponda taluk. Ponda is well connected by road to the...

 and other towns of Goa state.

The city hosts the test track for Skybus Metro

Skybus Metro

Skybus Metro is a modern suspended railway invented by Indian technologist Mr B Rajaram. Due to its eco-friendly, noise-free and economical operation it is has not only been seen with interest in cities in India but also by different cities in Europe and America.-Classification in India:Sky Bus...

, an elevated rail system which is patented by the Konkan Railway Corporation

Konkan Railway Corporation

Konkan Railway Corporation is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways . It operates the Konkan Railways, a subsidiary zone of the Indian Railways. It is headquartered at Belapur in Navi Mumbai. The company started its full operations of trains on 26 January 1998...

. The Skybus Metro project was later scrapped due to an accident which occurred during the test drive killing one engineer and a seriously injuring a crew of three. However, Mr B Rajaram who had invented the rail system has stated that in his opinion, the accident was avoidable.

Language

Konkani

Konkani language

KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...

 is the most widely spoken language in Margao. Marathi

Marathi language

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...

 is the other significant language. Portuguese

Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

 is also spoken and understood by a small number of people. English & Hindi are understood by a majority of the population. Konkani in South Goa is different from that spoken in North Goa. Konkani from Margao is considered to be standard Konkani.

Tourism

The city has many sights and destinations. These include the 'Closed' Market called, in the Portuguese language, Mercado de Afonso de Albuquerque or in Konkani as "Pimplapedd" or "Pimpalakatta," the municipal building (Câmara), the municipal garden, Anna Fonte (natural springs), Old Market or Mercado Velho, Holy Spirit Church, grand colonial mansions (especially the Seven Gables House near the church), the chapel at Monte Hill, the Hindu crematorium or 'Smashan' and the Muslim burial ground or 'Kabrasthan' both situated on Pajifond's Rua das Saudades.

Some of the city suburbs include Pajifond, Aquem, Gogol, Borda, Malbhat, Kharebandh, Old Market, Navelim

Navelim

Navelim is a census town in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is located outside the city of Margao.-Geography:Navelim is located at...

 and Comba, the last two being the oldest parts of the city.

There are a number of churches and temples in Margao, since the population is predominantly Roman Catholic or Hindu with a Muslim minority. The famous churches in Margao are the Holy Spirit Church, the Grace Church, The St Sebastian Church in Aquem (The Old St. Sebastian Chapel, popularly known as the Pandava Copel still stands proud next to the modern St. Sebastian Church) and the Monte Hill Chapel, the famous temples are the 'Damodar Temple' (Saal)which is revered by Margao's Hindus and Christians, the 'Hari Mandir', the 'Maruti Mandir' at Davorlim the 'Saibaba Temple' at Davorlim, the 'Shiv Temple' (Ling) at Fatorda near Nehru Stadium (which is the original Temple of Damudora). There are 2 mosques in Margao, One in the Malbhat area and one on the Monte hill catering to the Muslim population in these areas. Presently, since 2004, there are twenty-four new mosques in Margao. There is also a Jain temple at Pajifond.

Landmarks

Some lesser known information about some famous landmarks:

Margao city hall: The city hall is situated in the heart of the city.

Margao municipal garden: The northern segment of the Margao municipal garden was developed by the Mavany family and is named after Aga Khan, during his visit just before Goa's liberation. The entire garden is now Municipal property and is maintained by the Margao Municipal Council.

Narcinva D. Naik residence/Damodar Sal:Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...

 stayed in this house during his visit to Goa in October 1892. The mansion also houses Margao's well-known temple-hall "Dambaba Saal".

Culture

The town is also known as the cultural capital of Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

. A culture center named 'Ravindra Bhavan' was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Goa, Digambar Kamat

Digambar Kamat

Digambar Kamat is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Goa, since June 2007. He belongs to the Indian National Congress.-Political career:...

 in July 2008 at Fatorda

Fatorda

Fatorda is a town and a suburb of the city of Margao in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India.- Famous places :Fatorda had a technical institute run by Salesian priests. It hosts the relic of St. John Bosco during its world tour, on the 21st and 22nd August, 2011.Fatorda stadium is a...

. It also has Goa's biggest sports stadium, the Nehru Stadium at Fatorda.

Some of the theaters in Margao include the Gomant Vidya Niketan, OSIA Multiplex, Vishant and Lata; in addition to Goa's biggest theater, the Metropole.

The Dindi festival at the Vithal Rakhumai temple in the Comba ward occurs on the 2nd day after Diwali

Diwali

Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...

. A procession of the deity takes place at night through the city. A large congregation of Goans, Hindhus, Christians, Muslims, whether from Margao or from the surrounding areas, in the festive attire can be seen at the huge open air market outside the temple and across the main city. The feast of the Holy Spirit Church, locally known as purumetache fest occurs just before the Monsoon

Monsoon

Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

 sets in. People from all over Goa congregate at the special market to buy spices and dried fish to be used during the oncoming rainy season.

The usual specialities that are found in the cuisine of Goa are also to be found in Margao. The curry of Margao is a praised local speciality. Cans of curry

Curry

Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...

 of Margao are currently exported to Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 and elsewhere.

Margão is also the name of a brand of spices sold in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

.

See also

Madgaon (MAO)
Next 'Small' station towards Mumbai: Majorda	Konkan Railway Konkan Railway The Konkan Railway is a railway line which runs along the Konkan coast of India. It was constructed and is operated by the Konkan Railway Corporation...  : Railway (India)		Next 'Small' station from Mangalore: Balli
	Distance from Mumbai(CST) = 0765 KM
Next 'Main' station towards Mumbai: Kudal Kudal Kudal is a census town in Sindhudurg district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:Kudal is located at . It has an average elevation of 20 metres .-Demographics:...	Konkan Railway Konkan Railway The Konkan Railway is a railway line which runs along the Konkan coast of India. It was constructed and is operated by the Konkan Railway Corporation...  : Railway (India)		Next 'Main' station from Mangalore Karwar Karwar Karwar is the administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, India. It is a seaside town situated on the banks of the Kali river which is on the west coast of the Indian peninsula. The town lies about 15 kilometres south of the Karnataka–Goa border and 519 km north-west...

External links

• Hospital in Margao - Apollo Hospital
• Tourist information about Margao