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Goa
has been described as a tropical paradise ensconced in the Western
Ghats, India, with a coastline dotted with palm groves. The
pastoral communities lent their name to Goa. The Portuguese
rule of 451 years, the exposure of latin influences has enriched the
Goanese territory. Goans are known for their openess, mobility
and communal harmony. The sea faring traditions of the land,
the impact of Iberian culture with its zest for life and verve has
made the Goans an outgoing community.
Situated between the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, Goa is
called the "a pearl of the Orient" and is well known for
its scenic beauty, long stretches of golden beaches, beautiful
temples, architecturally rich churches and the green countrysideon
one side of the Arabian Sea. It has an area of 3701.2 sq kms
and a population of 1168622 with a literacy of 76.76%. Konkani
and Marathi are the major languages spoken by the people.
The name "Goa" derives from the pastoral and cattle
herding communities of Gopa. They gave names like Goparashtra,
Gaurashtra, Gomantak and Goa, and lent their name to the river
Gomati. They are probably the ancestors of present day Gauda
of the Western Ghats. The name Gouba is mentioned by Ptolemy
in the second century A.D. but probably the first explicit reference
to Goa occurs in the twelfth century. The Portuguese attempt
to link Goa to Lisbon, etymologically and phonetically, was a little
too far fetched.
Konkani with the Devanagari script has been accorded the status of
the state language. Konkani is written in Roman script by
Catholics only. The Goan Muslims speak Urdu, Marathi and
Konkani and use both Devanagari and Perso-Arabic script. Some
Goans are bilingual in Hindi and English, and some in Portuguese.
On the eastern side, Goa's terrain is hilly forming the northern
edge of the Sahyardi mountain ranges. Goa has rivers, alluvial
valleys, hills, plataeus, forests and sea coasts. The
territory has a tropical, maritime and monsoon type of climate.
It is moist throughout the year.
With its natural scenic beauty, Goa has always been a favourite
vacation venue. Apart from its palm fringed beaches, Goa has a
number of ancient temples, churches and mosques along with several
festivals which Goa celebrates through out the year. Tourism is a
flourishing business, a source of income, Goans have in fact
transformed the old festival of carnival into a lusty, boisterous
"tourist" festival.
AREA : 3702 sq kms
CLIMATE : 32 C 10 21 C. Monsoons : June to October
BEST SEASON : October to May.
PLACES OF INTEREST :
ANJIDIV : An island of Goa. The Portuguese, before they
conquered Goa, used it as their early station for repairing and
watering their ships. The Portuguese built a fort and a church
on the island. It is a small island with two pools of water.
ANJUNA : A village in Goa. The famous Chapora Fort of
the village overlooks the Vogator Beach.
ARVALEM : A village with a temple, lake, canes and exotic
vegetation.
BANDORA : A village famous for its Mahalakhsmi Temple.
CALANGUTE : Calangute village famous for Calangute and Baga
beach. Golden sand dotted with coconut trees, fishermen taking
their catch, fresh morning breeze, bars and restaurants.
CANACONA : A town famous for the Mallikanarjun Temple.
CANDOLIM : A town famous for its excellent beach and fortress
of Auguda. The fort is now used as a central jail.
COLVA : Famous for its beach and the image of Jesus which is
said to perform miracles.
FATORPA : It has the famous Shantadurga Temple. The idol
holds a shield and trishul in its hands.
MAPUSA : The municipal town of Mapusa is an important
commercial centre since ages. The Bodgeshwar Temple has a
small shrine dedicated to Kaneshwar Baba. People believe that
their desires can be fulfilled by the deity.
MARCAIM : Marcaim is nine kilometers from Ponda. It has
the famous Navdurga Temple. A big fair is held every year in
which nearly 8000 participate.
MARCELA : A town known for its Devaki Krishna Temple.
The black stone idol is in a posture with a child Krishna being
carried on the hip.
MARGOA : A very busy town. The Church of Holy Spirit of
this town is worth a visit.
NARORA : A town with the famous Saptakoteshwar Temple.
VELHA GOA : The City of Velha Goa was at one time the golden
city of the East. In their heyday the Portuguese had made it
one of the prettiest cities in the world and it was known as the
Rome of the east. The city apart from its famous churches has
a number of historical buildings.
PARODA : Paroda village is 11 kilometers from Margoa.
There is the famous Chandranath Temple on a high hill.
PERENEM : Perenem Town has the famous 500 years old Bhagavati
Temple. During the Dushera and Shigmo festivals, a large
number of people may homage to the deity.
POINGUNIM : A town with the ancient temple of Parashuram.
It also has a famous mosque and the Ponda fort.
PRIOL : The famous Mangesh Temple is the oldest Siva Temple in
Goa.
QUELULA : Quelula is near Ponda. The Raja of Satara
built the Shantadurga Temple here.
RAIA : The Rachol Fortress is a very olf fort in the town of
Raia. The corridors have many beautiful paintings. The
Library of the Seminary has a number of books.
RAIS MAGOS : The Rais Magos Fort is a small Fort built over
the ruins of the Bijapur Fort, It is situated in the Rais
Magos town.
RIVONA : Rivona is famous for its Damodar Temple.
SALIGOA : A town famous for its Church of Mae de Deus built in
Gothic style.
SANQUELIM : A town famous for the Dutta Mandir.
SIRODA : A town famous for its Kamakhsi Temple.
SONAULI : A town situated 31 kilometers away from Sanguem.
The famous Dudh-Sagar falls are worth a visit.
SURLA : Sula twon has the famous Mahadeva Temple which has
been declared a national monument.
VASCO-DE-GAMA : A town close to Marmagoa Harbour. The
Fort of Marmagoa is one of the most imporatnt forts of Goa.
VELINGA : The Lakhsmi Narashima temple of the town is extraordinary.
The idol of the temple is a half man and half lion, the fifth
incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
SANCTUARIES : Goa has three beautiful sanctuaries where a
variety of birds and animals live. The Bondala, the Molen and
CAPITAL OF GOA : PANAJI : Panaji (once a fishing
village) is a fairly old city where we find architectural
manifestations of the Portuguese days. Panaji was previously the
Capital of Portuguese India. It is now the capital
city of Goa, located on the left bank of the river Mondovi. A
trip down the Mondovi is a unique experience. Its banks are
fringed with river side hamlets amidst palm, casuarinas, mango,
jackfruit and cashewnut trees.
HISTORY : Goa's history can be traced to the Mauryan Empire in
India in the 3rd century B.C. The Chalukyas of Badami ruled
over it for 175 years since A.D 578. After which Goa was ruled
by the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Kadambas, Sultans of Delhi,
Vijaynagas, Bahamanies of Deccan, Adilshahis of Bijapur
respectively. Later the Potuguese took over and made Panjim
the capital og Goa in 1843. The Goa Vimochan Sahayak Samiti
founded around 1955 in Pune rendered help to the National Congress (Goa)
to fight against the foreign rule. Ultimately, the struggle
led to the liberation of Goa on 19 December 1961.
GOA'S CUISINE : Goa is famous for its spices such as black
pepper and cinnamon, crops like chilli and cashew nut. The
Goans are mainly rice eaters and non-vegetarian. The Goans
prefer brackish water from the sea or backwaters. The famous
Goan sweets are bebic, dodol, jilabi and laddu. Common drinks
include coconut water, areated water and tea. Tropical fruits found
in abundance include coconut, cashewnut, mango, banana, dry chillie,
pineapple, betel nut, cocum.
GAMES AND RECREATION : Goa plays traditional games like
kho-kho and kabbaddi, and international games like cricket,
billiards, snooker, football, volleyball, badminton, tennis, table
tennis, athletics, roller skating.
FAIRS AND FESTIVALS : Every temple in Goa has a fair held
yearly. The period of fair ranges from one to five days.
On every fair day religious discourses and fairs are held. All
the fairs have a commercial angle too. A number of stalls are
set up selling sweet meat, utensils, toys, ropes, cloth. The
main festivals of Goa are Christmas, Easter, Lent, Diwali
(festival of lights), Ramanavami (celebrating the birth of God Rama).
MUSIC AND DANCE :
The Musical Tradition of Goa is very old. The classical Hindu
music of Goa was traditionally the preserve of the temples.
Singing was also popualr in royal courts and villages. The
Portuguese Christians brought a new trend of music. The
Portuguese taught Western music in schools affiliated to churches.
Mondo - is a special music of Goa - the fusion of Indian folk style
set to a Western tune.
Our
thanks to Pallavi from India for this article.
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