Ponda, India
Encyclopedia
Ponda is a city and a municipal council
in North Goa district in the India
n 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 Goan Capital Panaji and the main railway junction of Margao
. It is the industrial centre of the state of Goa with many large factories and industrial estates. Ponda is also the fastest growing city in Goa with a population of approximately 20,000. Goa's major engineering college, the Goa Engineering College
, is located at nearby Farmagudi. Ponda is popularly known as the Cultural Capital of Goa.
Ponda lies strategically along the NH-4A highway connecting Panaji to Belgaum
in the neighboring state of Karnataka
.
or the "New Conquests" of the Portuguese. It was ruled by the Sonde Rajas under the Vijaynagar Kingdom or the Bijapur Sultanate. The territory of Ponda was not under Portuguese rule in the 16th Century and hence was seen as a safe haven by the Hindus fleeing persecution by the Jesuits and Portuguese.
Later Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj conqured it from Bijapur Sultanate in 1675. It remained in the hands of Marathas till 1764. Saundekar raja was the vassal of Maratha Chatrapati who ruled this territory.
The forests of Ponda were ideal places for Hindus to form make shift temples with the Idols they had salvaged from the broken temples of Sashti (Salcette
). These make shift temples were slowly renovated as the Hindus prospered again and now most of the Major Hindu temples in Goa are found here. The Portuguese eventually took over the area in 1791 from the Raja of Sonda along with Quepem
, Canacona
and Sanguem
. It began as an administrative center with the establishment of administrative offices and court and soon became a commercial center. Most of the area known as Ponda today was a part of "Quela" (Kavalem) village. However religious zeal of the Portuguese had ebbed by the 18th century and Portugal itself had seen many political and religious changes due to the prevailing inquisition
. Therefore Ponda continued to have a Hindu Majority even during the Portuguese rule. Ponda was known as Antruz during Portuguese rule.
, Ponda had a population of 17,688. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ponda has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 80%. In Ponda, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Konkani
and Marathi
are widely spoken languages.
bus stand on the outskirts of the town. There are also buses to nearby villages and towns leaving from here. The interstate buses also depart from the Kadamba Transport Corporation
bus stand. There are buses regularly between Hubli, Dharwad, Belagaum and Ponda run by KSRTC
.
Some are Kundaim,Bethorda ,Tisk.
, Vasco da Gama
, Panaji
Nearby beaches: Colva
, Benaulim
, Majorda
, Betalbatim, Betul
, Canaguinim, Agonda, Palolem, Rajbhag, Polem.
As mentioned before, Ponda was a safe haven for Hindu temples. The many Hindu
temples in the area include the famous being the Mahalasa Narayani at Mardol, The Shanta Durga temple
, Mangueshi Temple
, Ramnathi
, Mahalaxmi, Nageshi and Navadurga I temples. Gram daivat of Ponda and nearby kavle area is Shri Kapleshwar situted at Kapileshwari. Thus, Ponda is known as the "Temple Town of Goa."
Safa Masjid, a mosque built in 1560 by the Bijapuri ruler Ibrahim Adil Shah I
is there. It is one of two Islam
ic shrines that escaped destruction by the Portuguese in Goa. It is very close to the town of Farmagudi
.
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
in North Goa district in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
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...
. 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
Margao
Margao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
and is also the capital of Ponda taluk
Ponda taluk
Ponda taluk is a comunidade of Goa, India. Ponda taluk is part of North-Goa district. Ponda taluk is almost in middle of Goa state. Ponda taluk hosts many educational institutes and industries . The Belagavi - Panaji Highway passes through this taluka.-External links:**...
. Ponda is well connected by road to the Goan Capital Panaji and the main railway junction of Margao
Margao
Margao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
. It is the industrial centre of the state of Goa with many large factories and industrial estates. Ponda is also the fastest growing city in Goa with a population of approximately 20,000. Goa's major engineering college, the Goa Engineering College
Goa Engineering College
Goa Engineering College is a government-run college in Goa, India, offering courses in engineering disciplines. It is located in Farmagudi, Ponda. Founded in 1967, it is the oldest engineering college in Goa and is one of the three engineering colleges in the state. It is a NBA accredited degree...
, is located at nearby Farmagudi. Ponda is popularly known as the Cultural Capital of Goa.
Geography
Ponda is located at 15.40°N 74.02°E. It has an average elevation of 42 metres (138 feet).Ponda lies strategically along the NH-4A highway connecting Panaji to Belgaum
Belgaum
Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....
in the neighboring state of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
.
History
Ponda formed part of the Novas ConquistasNovas Conquistas
The Novas Conquistas are a group of seven administrative districts or concelhos of mainland Goa, India, which were added onto Goa at a comparatively later date than the original three concelhos that make up the Velhas Conquistas....
or the "New Conquests" of the Portuguese. It was ruled by the Sonde Rajas under the Vijaynagar Kingdom or the Bijapur Sultanate. The territory of Ponda was not under Portuguese rule in the 16th Century and hence was seen as a safe haven by the Hindus fleeing persecution by the Jesuits and Portuguese.
Later Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj conqured it from Bijapur Sultanate in 1675. It remained in the hands of Marathas till 1764. Saundekar raja was the vassal of Maratha Chatrapati who ruled this territory.
The forests of Ponda were ideal places for Hindus to form make shift temples with the Idols they had salvaged from the broken temples of Sashti (Salcette
Salcette
Salcette , is a taluka of South Goa District in the Indian state of Goa. Its administrative and economic headquarters is Margao. It is largely coterminous with a region called Sashti , which comprised, by local tradition, sixty-six villages, hence the name. However, it also includes the taluka of...
). These make shift temples were slowly renovated as the Hindus prospered again and now most of the Major Hindu temples in Goa are found here. The Portuguese eventually took over the area in 1791 from the Raja of Sonda along with Quepem
Quepem
Quepem is a town and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa.The town is the administrative capital for the Quepem district. Curchorem and Sanvordem are the a major towns located in the Quepem District.-Geography:...
, Canacona
Canacona
Canacona is an administrative region in south Goa, in India.Canacona is one of the five talukas that constitute the South Goa district. It is bounded on the north by the taluka of Quepem, on the northeast by Sanguem, on the south by the state of Karnataka, and on the west by the Arabian Sea...
and Sanguem
Sanguem
Sanguem is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa.Notable landmarks include the Sagameshwar Temple, Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park and the Salaulim Dam.-Geography:...
. It began as an administrative center with the establishment of administrative offices and court and soon became a commercial center. Most of the area known as Ponda today was a part of "Quela" (Kavalem) village. However religious zeal of the Portuguese had ebbed by the 18th century and Portugal itself had seen many political and religious changes due to the prevailing inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
. Therefore Ponda continued to have a Hindu Majority even during the Portuguese rule. Ponda was known as Antruz during Portuguese rule.
Demographics
India censusCensus
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...
, Ponda had a population of 17,688. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ponda has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 80%. In Ponda, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. 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...
and 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...
are widely spoken languages.
Education
Government engineering college of Goa is in Farmagudi, part of Ponda town.National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR) is also in ponda.The Kamakshi Higher Secondary School is located at Curti, Ponda. St. Mary's high school, S.S.Samiti's I.V.B.D. High School,A.J.D.E Almeida high school, Goa Engineering College (Farmagudi), S.S.Samiti's Higher Secondary School of Sciences,G.V.M.'s College of Arts and Science, P.E.S. Shri Ravi Sitaram College of Art's & Science Farmagudi Ponda Goa, Dada Vaidhya High School Curti are some of the prominent schools and colleges located in Ponda. The only and best ayurvedic college and hospital i.e. BSP's gomantak mahavidyalay and research centre with kamakshi arogyadham is also located in ponda at Shiroda.Transport
There are regular bus services from Panaji and Margao and they depart from the Kadamba Transport CorporationKadamba Transport Corporation
Kadamba Transport Corporation is a Government of Goa road transport undertaking. It was set up in 1980 by the Congress government, then headed by Pratapsing Rane. Goa has long dependent on privatised bus-transport, and the blue-and-red-and-white Kadamba buses are an exception to this rule...
bus stand on the outskirts of the town. There are also buses to nearby villages and towns leaving from here. The interstate buses also depart from the Kadamba Transport Corporation
Kadamba Transport Corporation
Kadamba Transport Corporation is a Government of Goa road transport undertaking. It was set up in 1980 by the Congress government, then headed by Pratapsing Rane. Goa has long dependent on privatised bus-transport, and the blue-and-red-and-white Kadamba buses are an exception to this rule...
bus stand. There are buses regularly between Hubli, Dharwad, Belagaum and Ponda run by KSRTC
KSRTC
KSRTC may refer to:* Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation* Kerala State Road Transport Corporation...
.
Industries
Ponda is industrial centre of Goa. There are many industrial estates in and around Ponda .Some are Kundaim,Bethorda ,Tisk.
Places of interest
Ponda is also the gateway to Goa's wildlife sanctuaries, both the Bondla and the Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and also the Dudhsagar Waterfalls. The Butterfly conservatory run by the Butterfly Conservatory of Goa (NGO) is an interesting place for nature enthusiasts. It is at Pisgal, Priol and very close to the Tropical Spice Plantation. It is open for visitors.Local sightseeing
Nearby cities: MargaoMargao
Margao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
, Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
, Panaji
Nearby beaches: 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...
, 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....
, Majorda
Majorda
Majorda is a village situated in in the Salcette taluka of the South Goa district. The village is famous for its beach....
, Betalbatim, Betul
Betul
Betul is a city and a municipality in Betul district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative center of Betul District located in southern Madhya Pradesh. It forms the southernmost part of the Bhopal Division.-Etymology:...
, Canaguinim, Agonda, Palolem, Rajbhag, Polem.
Religion
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
temples in the area include the famous being the Mahalasa Narayani at Mardol, The Shanta Durga temple
Shanta Durga temple
Shantadurga Temple is a large temple complex from Panaji at the foothill of Kavalem village in Ponda Taluka, Goa, India.-Deity:The temple is dedicated to Shantadurga, the goddess who mediates between Vishnu and Shiva...
, Mangueshi Temple
Mangueshi Temple
Shri Mangueshi temple is located at Mangeshim in Priol, Ponda taluk, 1 kilometer from Mardol close to Nagueshi, 22 km from Panaji the capital of Goa and 26 km from Margao....
, Ramnathi
Ramnathi
The temple of Ramnathi is located in Ramnathim, Bandivade in Goa.-Legend :Shri Ramanath Deity was originally installed 3000 years B.C by Rama at Rameshwar. When Rama came back from Lanka along with Sita, after killing Ravana, in order to absolve him of killing a Brahmin he decided to pray to Shiva....
, Mahalaxmi, Nageshi and Navadurga I temples. Gram daivat of Ponda and nearby kavle area is Shri Kapleshwar situted at Kapileshwari. Thus, Ponda is known as the "Temple Town of Goa."
Safa Masjid, a mosque built in 1560 by the Bijapuri ruler Ibrahim Adil Shah I
Ibrahim Adil Shah I
Ibrahim Adil Shah I was a sultan and later shah of the Indian kingdom of Bijapur. He succeeded his elder brother, Mallu Adil Shah, through the machinations of the afaqi faction at the court...
is there. It is one of two Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic shrines that escaped destruction by the Portuguese in Goa. It is very close to the town of Farmagudi
Farmagudi, India
Farmagudi is a town in Goa, India. It belongs to the Ponda taluk. It is located on a plateau 3 km from the main Ponda City on the way towards Panjim...
.
Temples
- Shree Gopal Ganapathi, Farmagudi
- Shree MahalasaMahalasaMahalasa is the Mohini avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is also known as Mhalshi and Mahalasa. In Goa and elsewhere, Mahalasa is considered as the Mohini form of Lord Vishnu and hence she is referred to as "Mahalasa Narayani". The deity, it may particularly be noted, also wears the holy thread,...
Narayani Temple, MardolMardol, GoaMardol is a census town in Ponda taluka, North Goa district in the state of Goa,India.The Marathi- and Portuguese-language radio playwright and short-story writer Ananta Rau Sar Dessai lived and practiced medicine in Mardol.... - Shree KamakshiKamakshiThe goddess Kamakshi is a form of Tripura Sundari or Parvati or the universal mother goddess. The main abode of Kamashi is the Kamakshi Amman temple at Kanchipuram. Other important forms of goddess Tripura Sundari are Meenakshi of Madurai, Akilandeswari of Thiruvanaikaval and Vishalakshi of...
Devasthan, Shiroda - Shree Mangesh Maharudra Temple, MangeshiMangeshi VillageMangeshi is a village in Priol, Ponda, Goa, India. Mangueshi/Mangueshim are other variations for the same name.-Main Attraction:The temple of Shri Mangesh is set amidst natural beauty and pleasant surroundings...
, Priol - Shree Nagesh Maharudra Temple, Nagueshi
- Shree Mahalaxmi Temple, Bandora
- Shree RamnathiRamnathiThe temple of Ramnathi is located in Ramnathim, Bandivade in Goa.-Legend :Shri Ramanath Deity was originally installed 3000 years B.C by Rama at Rameshwar. When Rama came back from Lanka along with Sita, after killing Ravana, in order to absolve him of killing a Brahmin he decided to pray to Shiva....
Temple, Ramnathim - Shree Shanta Durga templeShanta Durga templeShantadurga Temple is a large temple complex from Panaji at the foothill of Kavalem village in Ponda Taluka, Goa, India.-Deity:The temple is dedicated to Shantadurga, the goddess who mediates between Vishnu and Shiva...
, KavaleKavaleKavale or Kavalem is a village in Ponda, Goa, India. Kavle/Kawale/Kawle are other variations for the same name..-Main Attraction:... - Shree Sanusthan Goudpadacharya, KavaleKavaleKavale or Kavalem is a village in Ponda, Goa, India. Kavle/Kawale/Kawle are other variations for the same name..-Main Attraction:...
- Shree Navdurga Temple, Madkai
- Shree Chandranath Temple, Paroda
- Shree Navdurga Temple, Borim
- Shree Shantadurga Temple, Fatorpa
- Maruti Temple , Ponda
- Maruti Temple, Curti
- Ishwar Parwati Temple, Khadpaband
- Shree Sateri Temple, Mestawada
- Shree Vithoba Temple, Upper Bazar
- Shree Vijayadurga Temple, Kerim, Ponda.
- Shree Laxminarsimha temple, Velinga, Ponda
- Shree Shantadurga Sankhwaleshvari temple, Gotna, Velinga, Ponda
- Shree Saibaba Temple,Borim