Ponda in Goa

Ponda (Konkani: फोंडा/Fonde) is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is located in the central part of Goa. Ponda city lies about 28km south-east of Panaji and 17km north-east of Margao and is also the capital of Ponda Taluka. Ponda is well connected by road to the Panaji (Capital of Goa) and main railway junction of Madgaon. It is the industrial centre of the state of Goa with many large factories and industrial estates located there. Ponda also is the fastest growing city in Goa. Goa's major engineering college, the Goa Engineering College, is located at nearby Farmagudi.

Ponda formed part of the Novas Conquistas or the "New Conquests" of the Portuguese. It was ruled by the Sonde Rajas under the Vijaynagar Kingdom or the Bijapur Sultanate. The territory of Ponda was not under Portuguese rule in the 16th Century and hence was seen as a safe haven by the Hindus fleeing persecution by the Jesuits and Portuguese. The forests of Ponda were ideal places for Hindus to form make shift temples with the Idols they had salvaged from the broken temples of Sashti (Salsette). These make shift temples were slowly renovated as the Hindus prospered again and now most of the Major Hindu temples in Goa are found here. The Portuguese eventually took over the area in 1791 from the Raja of Sonda along with Quepem, Canacona and Sanguem. It began as an administrative center with the establishment of administrative offices and court and soon became a commercial center. Most of the area known as Ponda today was a part of "Quela" village. However religious zeal of the Portuguese had ebbed by the 18th century and Portugal itself had seen many political and religious changes due to the prevailing inquisition. Therefore Ponda continued to have a Hindu Majority even during the Portuguese rule.

Government engineering college of Goa is in Farmagudi, part of Ponda town. The Kamakshi Higher Secondary School is located at Curti, Ponda. A.J.D.E Almeida high school, Goa Engineering College (Farmagudi), GVM's College of Arts and Science, P.E.S> College

There are regular bus services from Panaji and Margao and they depart from the Kadamba Transport Corporation bus stand in the middle of town. There are also buses to nearby villages and towns leaving from here. The interstate buses also depart from the Kadamba Transport Corporation bus stand.There are buses regularly between Hubli,Dharwad,Belagavi and Ponda run by KSRTC.

As mentioned before, Ponda was a safe haven for Hindu temples. The many Hindu temples in the area include the famous being the Mahalasa Narayani at Mardol, The Shanta Durga temple, Mangueshi Temple, Ramnathi , Mahalaxmi, Nageshi and Navadurga temples. Safa Masjid, a mosque built in 1560 by the Bijapuri ruler Ibrahim Adil Shah is there. It is one of two Islamic shrines that escaped destruction by the Portuguese in Goa. It is very close to the town of Farmagudi.

Temples
Shree Gopal Ganapathi, Farmagudi
Shree Mahalasa Narayani Temple, Mardol
Shree Kamakshi Devasthan, Shiroda
Shree Mangueshi Temple, Priol
Shree Laxminarsimha Temple, Nagueshi
Shree Mahalaxmi Temple, Bandode
Shree Ramnathi Temple, Ramnathi
Shree Shanta Durga temple, Kavlem
Shree Sanusthan Goudpadacharya, Kavlem
Shree Navdurga Temple, Madkai
Shree Damodar Temple, Zambaulim
Shree Chandranath Temple, Paroda
Shree Navdurga Temple, Borim
Shree Shantadurga Temple, Fatorpa
Maruti Temple , Ponda
Maruti Temple, Curti
Ishwar Parwati Temple, Khadpaband

Monuments
Cabo de Rama
Buddhist caves, Rivona

Infrastructure available in Ponda
Branches of Banks : Karnataka Bank,Corporation Bank,ICICI Bank,HDFC Bank, Saraswat Bank .
Drug store / Pharmacy  : Kurtarkar Pharmacy
Restaurants around Ponda : Hotel Menino, Abiksha Palace, Cafe Bhonsle
Internet Cafes: ebay
Post office - Ponda Post Office, Ponda.
Police Station - Police Station, Ponda - Tel: 722175
Hospitals - Priolkar Nursing Home - Tel: [0832]2314178