Ponda
Goa
Ponda is a city as well as a municipal council in the northern district of Goa. It is situated 29 km south-east of Panaji and 18 km north-east of Margao. The city is situated at an elevation of 42 metres from the sea level. Ponda is also the capital of Ponda Taluka along with being the fastest growing city of Goa. Ponda is also known as the ‘Cultural Capital of Goa’. This city is well connected with the nearby towns and states through NH-4A and also forms the main railway junction of Margao. There are also regular bus services to Ponda from Panaji and Margao that depart from Kadamba Transport Corporation. Kundaim, Bethorda and Tisk are some of the popular industrial estates that prevail in Ponda. It used to form a part of the Novas Conquistas of the Portuguese. It was ruled by the Sonde Rajas under the Vijayanagar Kingdom; however, it came out of the rule of Portuguese in the 16th century. Ponda remained in the hands of the Marathas till 1764, which was again taken back by the Portuguese in 1791. After that the place saw establishments of administrative offices and courts and rapidly became a commercial centre. Ponda was regarded earlier as a safe haven for Hindu Temples, due to which, it is also known as the ‘Temple Town of Goa.’ Ponda has many famous Hindu temples like the Shanta Durga Temple, Mangueshi Temple, Navadurga Temples, Ramnathi, MahaLakshmi Temple, Nageshi Temple, Shri Kapleshwar Temple and many others. Ponda is also home to the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary. It is also the gateway to Dudhsagar Waterfalls. Ponda also comprises a Butterfly Conservatory that is managed by the Butterfly Conservatory of Goa. The Farmagudi town of Ponda is also home to the Safa Masjid that survived the destruction by the Portuguese in Goa. The Holy Spirit Church in Margao and the Rachol Seminary in Rachol Town are the two popular churches around Ponda. Some nearby tourist attractions around Ponda include Margao, Vasco de Gama, Panaji, Colva Beach, Benaulim Beach, Majorda Beach, Palolem Beach and many more. The city of Ponda has a tropical weather that goes through slight changes in temperatures in different seasons. The summers of Ponda do not get very hot and the winters are also generally pleasant. This is why winters are the best time to visit Ponda.
Tourist Spots
The temple of Mahalsa is located at a distance of 9 km from Ponda Taluk, in Mardol Village. The temple is also known as Shri Mahalsa Narayani Temple. The temple is devoted to Goddess Mahalsa (Lakshmi), the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity..The original location of the deity of Mahalsa Temple was at the temple in the Salcette Taluka. The Mahalsa idol was rescued and moved to Mardol Village when the temple at Salcette was ravaged by Adil Shah, in the 16th century.
It is considered by some that Mahalsa is the female incarnation of Lord Vishnu. As per Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Mohini, a very beautiful woman, to distract demons from their intention to destroy the world. Later, this form of Vishnu was called Mahalsa. However in Goa, Mahalsa is considered as a consort of Vishnu.
At the entrance of temple, there is a three storied lamp tower called ‘Deepstambh’.. The tower of lamps is made from brass and it is 12.5 m high. The main hall of the temple is adorned with carvings of the 10 most well known incarnations of Lord Vishnu. At the entrance of temple’s sanctum, there is silver frame decorating the doorway. An ancient water tank is situated at the backyard of the temple.
Mardol Zatra is the main festival of this temple, which is held here in the month of February, every year. The other festivals celebrated here are Mahashivratri and Kojagiri Purnima.
The temple of Shri Chandreshwar is situated to the south of Ponda, atop the hill of Chandranath. The temple is believed to be from the pre-Christian era, when the place was under the rule of Raja Bhoja. At that time, the capital town of the Bhoj Kingdom was Chandrapur, which is today called Chandor.
The presiding deity of the temple is Shiva. The facet altar of the temple also houses Shri Bhutnath. The temple is made in such a way that the moonlight falls directly on the Shiva Lingam on a full moon day. The main festival of this temple is Maha Shivratri, which is celebrated here in the month of April, every year.
Located at a distance of 20 km from Ponda, in the north-east of Goa, is the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, the smallest wildlife sanctuary in Goa. The sanctuary is spread over an area of 8 sq km and is covered with trees such as kindall, Terninalia crenulata, lagerstroemia, rosewood, mimusops, and jamba. The place also has some bamboo plantations. The place is located at an altitude of 3000 ft above the sea level, right on the slopes of the Western Ghats.
The Bondla Sanctuary houses a deer park, botanical garden and rose garden. The sanctuary is inhabited by fauna such as deer, panthers, jungle cats and leopards. The sanctuary is also home to different kinds of birds such as woodpeckers, oriental dwarf kingfishers, bulbul and hornbills. A statue of the deity, Gajalaxmi, is situated in the sanctuary.
The temple of Sri Ramnath is located near Bandode Village, in a valley at a distance of 4 km from Ponda. As per the legends, after slaying Ravana, Lord Rama installed a Shiva Lingam on these shores for cleansing his act. The earlier location of the shrine was at Loutolim, a settlement founded by Gaud Saraswat Brahmins when they arrived in Goa from northern India.
The deity of Sri Ramnath Temple was shifted to Bandode Village when the Portuguese began ruining Hindu temples. At that time, Bandode Village was under the rule of the sultan of Bijapur. While the presiding deity of this temple is Lord Shiva, there are other deities in this temple as well, like Lord Lakshmi - Narayan, Goddess Kamakshi, Shri Santeri and Shri Sidhanath.
Like many other temples of Goa, the premises of the temple houses a five-storied ‘Deepstambha’, which is carved with images of Hindu Gods. The sanctum is embellished with several chandeliers and lanterns. Every year, a festival and Jatra is celebrated here in which, the idol is taken around to the temple in a palanquin parade.
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