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Ponda | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Location of Ponda inGoa | |
| Coordinates:15°24′10″N74°00′28″E / 15.40278°N 74.00778°E /15.40278; 74.00778 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Goa |
| District | South Goa |
| Government | |
| • Body | democratic |
| Elevation | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 171,799 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Konkani |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Postal code | 403401 |
| Vehicle registration | GA 05 |
Ponda (Romi Konkani:Fôn-èh;Portuguese:Pondá), is a city and amunicipal council in theSouth Goa District ofGoa,India.
It is the administrative headquarters ofPonda Taluka and is centrally located within the State of Goa. Ponda lies 28 km (17 miles) southeast ofPanaji, the capital of Goa and 17 km (10.6 miles) northeast ofMargao, the South Goa District headquarters,.[1] Before January 2015, Ponda was included in theNorth Goa District after which it was shifted to South Goa.
Ponda is located at15°24′N74°01′E / 15.40°N 74.02°E /15.40; 74.02.[2] It has an average elevation of 42 metres (138 ft).
According to the2011 census of India, Ponda had apopulation of 22,664. Males constituted 51.8% of the population and females 48.2%. Ponda had an average literacy rate of 85.2%, higher than the national average of 74.0%, with male literacy at 86.7% and female literacy at 83.5%. In Ponda, 9.9% of the population was under 6 years of age.[3]
There are many Hindu temples in and around Ponda. The temples ofShri Manguesh (Shiva), Shri Nagesh, Shri Ganapati,Shri Ramnath and the Goddesses Shri Shantadurga,Shri Mahalasa, Shri Mahalaxmi are all located nearby.[4]
St. Anne Church, Ponda, Goa is called ‘Santa Ana Igreja em Ponda, Goa’ in Portuguese. The St. Anne Church, Ponda, Goa is popularly called ‘The Ponda Church’ locally in Goa. The original Church of Ponda, dedicated to St. Anne and St Anthony, was founded in 1700. Ponda was then a mission station administered by the Jesuits. The present Ponda Church was built later. The parish of Ponda was entrusted to the pastoral care of members of the Order of Franciscans Minor in 1957. The present parochial residence of the Ponda Church was built in 1967 and the church sanctuary was enlarged and remodeled in 1987.
The church is of Neo-Roman style and is two-storey high. Its Rococo curved apex has cherubs and statue in relief. The facade has a Gable with stained glass oculus. It has finials of urn and spear-and-ball types. It has a belfry at left with horizontal banding and tiled porch up front.[5]
Thevillage Bandivade in Ponda was established by King Sripala. He also built a Jain temple ofNeminatha in Ponda.[6]
Ponda houses theSafa Masjid, one of the two 16th century muslim monuments in Goa that survived thePortuguese Inquisition. Built around 1560 by the Bijapuri rulerIbrahim Adil Shah and situated 2 km from the core of the city in the Shapur locality, the Safa Masjid is found flanking the Panjim-Bengaluru highway. A tank forablutions is also present in the mosque compound and has sprouted rumours about tunnels hidden underneath.[7]
Ponda is part ofPonda (Goa Assembly constituency) andNorth Goa (Lok Sabha constituency).
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