Margoa Travel Guide
Margao
is Goa's second largest city and commercial metropolis of Salcete
taluka in South Goa. It still retains semblance of Goa’s
Portuguese colonial past, and is connected to the rest of the Indian
sub-continent by rail. Margao is the headquarters of South Goa
District and is considered the main commercial city of Goa. It is
famous for its ancient cultural heritage and traditional customs of
the people of Goa.
Surrounded by fertile farmland, the town of Margao was once a major
religious centre, with dozens of wealthy temples and dharmshalas
(dormitories). In fact the name Margao is thought to be the
Portuguese corruption of the word Mathgram (from Math - a Hindu
religious centre that used to exist there) However most of these
were destroyed when the Portuguese absorbed the area into their
Novas Conquistas during the 17th century.
Margao has an old-worldly charm about it because of
its Portuguese churches, and some magnificent specimens of old
Portuguese houses complete with shady balcaos (porches) and
oyster-shell windows in its Borda area.
Getting There
By Bus
All local buses operate from the busy Kadamba bus terminal north of
the town, but many also stop at the old bus stand in the center of
the town. Catch buses to Colva and Benaulim from Kadamba or from the
bus stop on the east side of the Municipal Gardens.
There are hourly buses to Colva from around 7am to 7pm (Rs. 5, 20
minutes). Some go via Benaulim. Buses to Panaji run every 15 minutes
and take about an hour. There are around eight buses a day direct to
Palolem and others heading to Karwar that stop in nearby Chaudi.
There are also local buses to Vasco, Ponda, Chandor and Rachol.
There are many private bus agents in the town center near the GDTC
Tourist Hotel.
By Train
Margao's new station is about 1.5km east of the town center;
vehicle access is via the road south of the train line, not Staion
Road (which leads to the now closed old station). If you're walking
there, however, you can cross the tracks at the footbridge past the
old station
Tourist attractions
The Largo de Igreja
The Largo de Igreja, or the Church of the Holy Spirit as it is also
known, dominates the entrance to the city, just north of the
Municipal Garden square. The church area is surrounded by beautiful
old residential houses still in pristine condition. The church was
built by the Portuguese in 1675 and is one of the finest examples of
late-Baroque architecture in Goa, boasting a pristine white façade
and an interior dripping with gilt crystal and stucco.
The famous "House of Seven Gables" or "Sat
Burzam Ghor"
The famous "House of Seven Gables" or "Sat Burzam
Ghor" is a magnificent mansion was commissioned in 1790 by
Sebastino da Silva, emissary and private secretary of the Portuguese
Viceroy. Although only three of the seven gables remain today, they
are enough to give the visitor an idea of the size of the original
edifice.
