MARGAO

'Margao' (Konkani/Marathi: मडगांव, English: Margao, Portuguese: Margão), is also called 'Madgaon'. It is Goa's second largest but busiest town, the commercial capital of the state, and the administrative headquarters of South Goa District and of the Salcete Taluka.
The name may be pronounced as 'Maudgao' in Konkani, the local language. Margão is the Portuguese form, and the form Margao is also common. It is derived from ''Mathagram'' which means a place with a matha.
Nestled on the banks of the River Sal, Margão is amongst the oldest recorded towns in Goa. Margão is famous for the huge Portuguese style mansions which dot its landscape. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in Goa and includes several suburbs including Aquem, Fatorda, Gogol, Borda, Comba and Davorlim.

Contents

Transport

Maps

Tourism

History

Demographics

External links

Transport

The Margão Railway station is Goa's biggest and most important as it is a railway junction positioned at the intersection of the Konkan Railway and the South Western Railway. All trains passing through Goa stop here, and it is the gateway to south Goa. Hence Margão 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 and Colva which are about six kilometers away.

Maps

★ [1]

★ Elevation = 10m

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 muncipal garden, Anna Fonte (natural springs), Old Market or ''Mercado Velho'', Holy Spirit Church, grand colonial mansions, the chapel at Monte Hill, the Hindu crematorium or 'Smashant' 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 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 chapel in Aquem and the Monte Hill Chapel, the famous temples are the 'Damodar Temple'(Saal) , the 'Hari Mandir', the 'Maruti Mandir' at Davorlim the 'Saibaba Temple' at Davorlim ,the 'Shiv Temple'(Ling) at Fatorda near Nehru Stadium. 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.
'Educational Instituitions'
1)Margao hosts many prestigious schools and colleges.Among the schools known for excellence is Loyola High School. It is run by the Jesuits 'SJ' of Goa. It is an all boy’s school known for producing some of Goa’s most famous sons and students who excel both in academics and in sports.
Though the town is also known as the cultural capital of Goa, a culture center ('Ravindra Bhavan') is still under construction at Fatorda. It also has Goa's only sports stadium, the Nehru Stadium at Fatorda and hosts the test track for Skybus, an elevated rail system which is patented by the Konkan Railway Corporation.

History

Margão 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 inhabitant were Brahmin. It was then famous for its many outstanding and beautifully built temples, and long before the Portuguese came 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 along side. The present church was built in 1675.
The initial settlement of Margão grew from the site of the ancient Damodar temple. The original temple was demolished and the temple tank filled up to be replaced by the Holy Spirit church and church grounds. The Hindus carried their deity Damodar (a form of Lord Krishna) across the Zuari Agranashini river to the Hindu territories held by the Sonde ''Rayas''. While the western side of the Church developed as a market place the settlement grew on the eastern side, that is, the Borda region. The settlement grew 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'' (singular: ''balcão'') 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'' (meaning: joy square).
Margão'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.
Some lesser known information about some famous landmarks:
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 stayed in this house during his visit to Goa in October 1892. The mansion also houses Margao's well-known temple-hall "Damodar Bal Sunner".

Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[1], Margao had a population of 78,393. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Margao has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 73%. In Margao, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

External links

★ Hospital in Margao - Apollo Hospital

★ Tourist information about Margao