Goa Velha | |
---|---|
Town | |
Coordinates: 15°26′38″N73°52′52″E / 15.444°N 73.881°E | |
Country | India |
State | Goa |
District | North Goa |
Sub District | Ilhas |
Founded by | Afonso Albuquerque |
Named for | "Goa - The Old" in Portuguese |
Government | |
Area | |
• Total | 6.20 km2 (2.39 sq mi) |
Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 4,322 |
• Density | 700/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
Languages | |
• Official | Konkani |
• Also Spoken (understood) | English |
• Historical | Portuguese |
Religions | |
• Dominant | Christianity |
• Minor | Hinduism |
• Historical | Roman Catholicism |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Postcode | 403108 |
Telephone Code | 0832 |
Goa Velha is a small town in Ilhas de Goa subdistrict, Goa state, India. It should not be confused with the World Heritage Site of the historical city of Old Goa (Portuguese : Velha Goa). St Andrew's is its parish church. It is well known for its yearly 'Procession of the Saints' (Konkani: Santanchem Pursanv)
The town of Goa Velha was a southern suburb of the City of Goa, which was the original capital of Portuguese India. The Plagues of Goa in the 16th and 18th century gradually brought about the decline in the city's population. Goa Velha was one of the few areas on the Ilhas de Goa where populations of people began to cluster around. Velha Goa was once as vibrant as London or Lisbon with a population of more than 200,000. Then a disaster struck, and over the course of the next two centuries, the magnificent city was reduced to a shadow of its past.
In the 15th century, the Bijapur Sultanate built Velha Goa on the banks of Mandovi river. But once the Portuguese defeated Adil Shah in 1510 CE and took over the city, it served as the administrative seat of the Portuguese in India.
However, when plague and cholera epidemics started to ravage the city, people began to move out, and by 1775 only 1,500 people remained. This abandoned city came to be known as Velha Goa (Old Goa) to distinguish it from the new capital Nova Goa (New Goa - Panjim).
Today, the Churches and Convents of Velha Goa are monuments inscribed by UNESCO under the World Heritage List and are home to the tombs of kings, saints and missionaries. From the palace of Adil Shah to the ruins of St. Augustine, from the world-famous Bom Jesus Basilica to The Museum of Christian Art, and the other sites and monuments of Old Goa, are worth visiting for their architectural and historical value.
Goa Velha is located adjacent to Pilar in Ilhas, North Goa. By road it is approximately 2.5 kilometres north-west of Agaçaim, 12 kilometres south-east of the capital Panjim, 17 kilometres north-east of Vasco da Gama, and 26 kilometres north of the South Goa district headquarters Margão.Goa Velha is a coastal village located in the North Goa district of Goa, India. It is situated near the Mandovi Mandovi River, offering scenic views and a mix of lush greenery and sandy beaches. The area features a combination of low-lying coastal terrain and hilly regions, typical of Goa's landscape. It has a rich historical background, with colonial architecture and significant cultural sites. The climate is tropical, with a distinct wet season during the monsoons.
As of the 2011 census of India [update] , Goa Velha had a population of 4,322 . Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%.[ citation needed ]
Goa Velha has an average literacy rate of 89.17%, higher than the state average of 88.70%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 71%. In Goa Velha, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.
68.12% of the population is Christian, 27.97% is Hindu and 3.77% is Muslim.[ citation needed ]
Goa Velha Census Town has total administration over 1,055 houses to which it supplies basic amenities like water and sewerage. It is also authorized to build roads within Census Town limits and impose taxes on properties coming under its jurisdiction.
Old Goa is a historical site and city situated on the southern banks of the River Mandovi, within the Tiswadi taluka (Ilhas) of North Goa district, in the Indian state of Goa.
Panaji is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary in the Tiswadi sub-district (taluka). With a population of 114,759 in the metropolitan area, Panaji is Goa's largest urban agglomeration, ahead of Margao and Mormugao.
Ponda, is a city and a municipal council in the North Goa district of Goa, India.
Goa is a state in India.
Canacona is an administrative region in the district of South Goa, Goa state, India.
Ribandar is a town in Tiswadi, Goa, located between the cities of Panjim and Old Goa.
Bicholim, is a small town and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is the headquarters of the Concelho (county) of Bicholim, one of seven that make up the Novas Conquistas, territories added to Goa comparatively later than the first three of the Velhas Conquistas. The town is located about 30 km (19 mi) from the state capital of Panaji. It is in the mining heartland of Goa.
North Goa district is one of the two districts that constitutes the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of 1,736 square kilometres, and is bounded by Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra state to the north and by Belgavi district of Karnataka to the east, by South Goa district to the south, and by the Arabian Sea to the west.
The Velhas Conquistas or "Old Conquests" are a grouping of the areas in Goa which were incorporated into Portuguese India in the early half of the sixteenth century AD. Goa, Damaon & Diu comprised the last remaining Portuguese possessions in India. Macao and Timor Leste were administratively separated.
Mormugao is a coastal town situated in the eponymous subdistrict of Southern Goa state, India. It has a deep natural harbour and remains Goa's chief port.
The island of Divar lies in the Mandovi river in the Indian state of Goa.
Reis Magos is a village located on the northern bank of the Mandovi River in Bardez, Goa, opposite to the capital city of Panjim. The village is famous for two of Goa’s famous structures; the Reis Magos Fort, and the Reis Magos Church – the first church in Bardez. "Reis Magos" is the Portuguese name for the Three Wise Men from the Bible.
Tiswadi, formerly known as Ilhas, is a taluka in the district of North Goa, situated in the Indian coastal state of Goa. It is an estuarine island situated on the confluence of the Mandovi and Zuari rivers. It was one of the first territories to be annexed by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Both the state capital Panaji, and the erstwhile capital Old Goa lie within the sub-district. It is the biggest and the most populated of the six major islands between the Mandovi and Zuari rivers.
Cumbarjua, is an island and town within the Mandovi River in Goa. It is situated to the east of Goa's capital Panjim at a distance of 20 kilometres. It is one of 6 major islands between the Mandovi and Zuari, he others being:
Pondataluka is a subdivision of the district of north Goa, in the Indian state of Goa. Its administrative headquarters is the township of Ponda.
Fort Assunção or Corjuem Fort is a fortress situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the village of Aldona on the river island of Corjuem, Goa. It was a military fortress for the defense of Portuguese India. It is smaller than the other forts in Goa, but it gives a good view of the surrounding river and land. It is a protected monument under the Goa, Daman and Diu ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains act.
Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea in the west. It is India's smallest state by area and fourth-smallest by population. Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states, two and a half times as high as the GDP per capita of the country as a whole. The Eleventh Finance Commission of India named Goa the best-placed state because of its infrastructure, and India's National Commission on Population rated it as having the best quality of life in India. It is the second-highest ranking among Indian states in the human development index.
Churches and Convents of Goa is the name given by UNESCO to a set of religious monuments located in Goa Velha, in the state of Goa, India, which were declared a World Heritage Site in 1986.
Morumugaotaluka is an administrative subdivision of South Goa district, Goa state, India, headquartered at Mormugao city. It is the state's only subdistrict to have all four modes of transport—air, road, rail, and sea.