Vasco da Gama, Goa
Encyclopedia
Vasco da Gama is the largest city in the state of Goa
on the west coast of India
. It is named after the Portuguese
explorer Vasco da Gama
. Vasco has Goa's largest population, estimated at over 100,000. It is also the headquarters of the Mormugao
taluka. The town lies on the western tip of the Mormugao
peninsula, at the mouth of the Zuari River
, about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) from Panaji (Panjim), Goa's capital, and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the Dabolim Airport
(GOI).
The place was founded in 1543, and remained in Portuguese hands until 1961, when Goa was annexed to India. The Indian Navy's Goa Naval Area (base) is located at Vasco from which it controls Dabolim airport and, in effect, the entire tourism-dependent state of Goa.
There have been aborted attempts in the past to change the name of the city to Sambhajinagar.
Vasco city is well connected by road, rail, sea and air; by road by the NH 17A (National Highway), by rail by the South Western Railway
, by the sea through the Mormugao
Harbour and by air through Dabolim Airport
, thus serving as the main hub for most tourists visiting the state of Goa.
Vasco is heavily reliant on the port for most of its economic activity. Manganese
ore mined in interior regions is brought to Marmugoa by barges navigating the rivers Mandovi and Zuari, and then either collected in the Mormugao Port to be loaded onto bulk carrier ships or directly loaded onto the ships using trans-shippers. Ore which is collected on the port is handled by state-of-the-art machinery called MOHP (Mechanical Ore-Handling Plant). This includes massive bucket wheel loaders and miles of conveyor belts. The port has berthing facilities for large cruise liners as well as a floating dry dock. There are numerous shipping and freight forwarding agents as well as offices of major mining companies based in the city.
The Mormugao Port Trust which operates the port is the largest employer in the Vasco region and has a complete mini-township in Headland Sada which includes schools, residential complexes and amenities for employees of the Port.
is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Vasco. This beach is quite risky as it has underwater currents and is therefore usually monitored by lifeguards. Khollant (Issorcim) and Baina are two smaller beaches around Vasco.
Apart from the nearby beaches, the city of Vasco is bereft of any major tourist attractions, the salient monument being the 400-year old St. Andrews Church located at the entrance of the city. However the Naval Aviation Museum
nearby the city center is a popular tourist spot and is the only such museum in India. It profiles the evolution and history of Indian naval aviation through aircraft exhibits and rare photographs.
One of Goa's premier musical groups, Diamond Orchestra hails from Vasco. The town is also home to several English bands from Goa, namely Lynx, Heaven's Touch, and Kollectiv Soul.
Vasco is also famous for the annual Shri Damodar Bhajani Saptah fair held in Shravan
month of Hindu lunar calender preceding the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Vasco da Gama hosts the relics of Saint John Bosco
, albeit temporarily, on the 21st August, 2011, at the Saint Andrew Church, while the relics were on its world tour.
Like all towns and cities in Goa, Vasco also celebrates the Shigmo
/ xigmo and Carnival
annually with a street parade where floats from all over Goa participate.
- Vasco Sports Club
and Salgaocar Sports Club
. Salgaocar SC were Champions of the 1998-99 season of the erstwhile NFL
. Tilak Maidan
is a 15,000 capacity football ground based in the city, although it is rarely used for national league matches.
Although cricket is not as popular as football, a Vasco resident Shadab Jakati
plays for Goa in the Ranji Trophy
first-class competition and has also been selected to play for the Chennai Super Kings
IPL
franchise.
. The current Member of Parliament is Francisco Sardinha of the Indian National Congress
.
Vasco elects its representative to the Goa Legislative Assembly, the current MLA is Jose Philip D'Souza of the Nationalist Congress Party
.
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...
on the west coast of 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...
. It is named after the 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...
explorer 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...
. Vasco has Goa's largest population, estimated at over 100,000. It is also the headquarters of the Mormugao
Mormugao
Mormugao or Marmagao is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa’s main port. It was featured in the 1980 film The Sea Wolves and the Bollywood film Bhootnath....
taluka. The town lies on the western tip of the Mormugao
Mormugao
Mormugao or Marmagao is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa’s main port. It was featured in the 1980 film The Sea Wolves and the Bollywood film Bhootnath....
peninsula, at the mouth of the Zuari River
Zuari River
The Zuari River is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. It is a tidal river with a total length of 34 kilometres. The Zuari originates at Hemad-Barshem in the Western Ghats. The Zuari is also referred to as the Aghanashani in the interior regions...
, about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) from Panaji (Panjim), Goa's capital, and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the Dabolim Airport
Dabolim Airport
Dabolim Airport is located in the village of Dabolim in Goa, India. It is the only airport in the state and operates as a civil enclave in a military airbase named INS Hansa.-History :...
(GOI).
The place was founded in 1543, and remained in Portuguese hands until 1961, when Goa was annexed to India. The Indian Navy's Goa Naval Area (base) is located at Vasco from which it controls Dabolim airport and, in effect, the entire tourism-dependent state of Goa.
There have been aborted attempts in the past to change the name of the city to Sambhajinagar.
Transport and Industry
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...
, by the sea through the Mormugao
Mormugao
Mormugao or Marmagao is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa’s main port. It was featured in the 1980 film The Sea Wolves and the Bollywood film Bhootnath....
Harbour and by air through Dabolim Airport
Dabolim Airport
Dabolim Airport is located in the village of Dabolim in Goa, India. It is the only airport in the state and operates as a civil enclave in a military airbase named INS Hansa.-History :...
, thus serving as the main hub for most tourists visiting the state of Goa.
Vasco is heavily reliant on the port for most of its economic activity. Manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
ore mined in interior regions is brought to Marmugoa by barges navigating the rivers Mandovi and Zuari, and then either collected in the Mormugao Port to be loaded onto bulk carrier ships or directly loaded onto the ships using trans-shippers. Ore which is collected on the port is handled by state-of-the-art machinery called MOHP (Mechanical Ore-Handling Plant). This includes massive bucket wheel loaders and miles of conveyor belts. The port has berthing facilities for large cruise liners as well as a floating dry dock. There are numerous shipping and freight forwarding agents as well as offices of major mining companies based in the city.
The Mormugao Port Trust which operates the port is the largest employer in the Vasco region and has a complete mini-township in Headland Sada which includes schools, residential complexes and amenities for employees of the Port.
Tourism and Culture
Bogmalo BeachBogmalo Beach
Bogmalo is a small beach-side village in Goa, India. Despite its small size, Bogmalo has a range of accommodation and places to eat. It is situated in a small bay, with around a mile of curving sandy beach, which is generally very quiet. It benefits from some beautiful sunsets.The beach is located...
is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Vasco. This beach is quite risky as it has underwater currents and is therefore usually monitored by lifeguards. Khollant (Issorcim) and Baina are two smaller beaches around Vasco.
Apart from the nearby beaches, the city of Vasco is bereft of any major tourist attractions, the salient monument being the 400-year old St. Andrews Church located at the entrance of the city. However the Naval Aviation Museum
Naval Aviation Museum (India)
The Naval Aviation Museum is a military museum located in Bogmalo, 6km from Vasco da Gama, Goa, India. This museum contains exhibits that show the evolution of India's Naval and Aviation forces over the decades...
nearby the city center is a popular tourist spot and is the only such museum in India. It profiles the evolution and history of Indian naval aviation through aircraft exhibits and rare photographs.
One of Goa's premier musical groups, Diamond Orchestra hails from Vasco. The town is also home to several English bands from Goa, namely Lynx, Heaven's Touch, and Kollectiv Soul.
Vasco is also famous for the annual Shri Damodar Bhajani Saptah fair held in Shravan
Shravan
Shravan is a Sanskrit word, which literally means listening.* Shravanam is one of the nine most important angas of bhakti.Shravan Kumar belonged to the time when King Dashratha ruled Ayodhya. He was born of poor and blind parents, but they had brought him up remarkably well. He was strong healthy...
month of Hindu lunar calender preceding the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Vasco da Gama hosts the relics of Saint John Bosco
John Bosco
John Bosco , was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer of the 19th century, who put into practice the convictions of his religion, dedicating his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth and employing teaching methods...
, albeit temporarily, on the 21st August, 2011, at the Saint Andrew Church, while the relics were on its world tour.
Like all towns and cities in Goa, Vasco also celebrates the Shigmo
Shigmo
Shigmo , or Shishirotsava, is a spring festival celebrated in the Indian state of Goa, where it is one of the major festivals of the Hindu community...
/ xigmo and Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
annually with a street parade where floats from all over Goa participate.
Sports
Like the rest of Goa, football is the most popular sport in Vasco. Two teams from the town have participated in the I-LeagueI-League
The I-League is an Indian football league for association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 14 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation of two teams each year with the I-League 2nd Division...
- Vasco Sports Club
Vasco Sports Club
Vasco Sports Club are a football club from Goa, India. They currently play in the I-League 2nd Division which is India's second most prominent football league.-History:...
and Salgaocar Sports Club
Salgaocar Sports Club
Salgaocar Sporting Club is a professional football club who currently play in the I-League. They are based in Vasco, Goa. They are owned by the V. M...
. Salgaocar SC were Champions of the 1998-99 season of the erstwhile NFL
National Football League (India)
The National Football League was an association football league competition in India between 1996 and 2007 which was organised into three divisions. The league is now transformed into the I-League and continues with that name...
. Tilak Maidan
Tilak Maidan Stadium
Tilak Maidan Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Vasco da Gama, Goa, India. It is used mostly for football matches and regularly hosts matches in the I-League as well as local Goan leageus. The stadium holds 12,000 people...
is a 15,000 capacity football ground based in the city, although it is rarely used for national league matches.
Although cricket is not as popular as football, a Vasco resident Shadab Jakati
Shadab Jakati
Shadab Bashir Jakati is an Indian first class cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a slow left arm orthodox bowler. He represents Goa in first class cricket and Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. In 2008, Shadab Jakati used the IPL to get out of cricketing obscurity...
plays for Goa in the Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
first-class competition and has also been selected to play for the Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings is a franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that plays in the Indian Premier League. Founded in 2008, the team is currently captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coached by Stephen Fleming, a former New Zealand cricketer. The team's home ground is the M. A...
IPL
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
franchise.
Politics
The city of Vasco falls under the boundaries of the Mormugao (South Goa) constituency in the Lok SabhaLok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
. The current Member of Parliament is Francisco Sardinha of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
.
Vasco elects its representative to the Goa Legislative Assembly, the current MLA is Jose Philip D'Souza of the Nationalist Congress Party
Nationalist Congress Party
The Nationalist Congress Party is a centre to centre left political party primarily based in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Background:...
.