Introduction to Goa India
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Indian peninsula, the state shares its borders with Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the south and east | Talpona and Galjibaga | of Goa, including Panaji. | Margao: 08342 Ponda: 08343 |
Climate in Goa India
Goa has a maritime equable climate, neither too hot nor too cold, and remains humid and sunny for most part of the year. It experiences heavy rains between the months of June and September.Temperature: 36o C (max) and 21o C (min). Humidity levels touch almost 97 percent during monsoons and fall to about 58 percent in the winter months.
Rainfall: 320cm approximately, between June and September.
Best season to visit: November to March (Winter season)
Accessibility
Railway Stations: Two main railway stations in Margao and Vasco da Gama are connected to most major cities in India including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad etc.Airport: Goa’s only airport, Dabolim International Airport, is about 30km from Panaji, the capital city.
National Highways: Goa is connected by motorable roads to all the major cities in India via National Highways NH4A, NH17 and NH17A.
Economy of Goa India
The state thrives mainly on tourism. Mining comes a close second. Minerals including iron ore, manganese, bauxite, asbestos, feldspar, graphite, quartz, talc, silica sand, limestone and laterite are shipped across to other states in India and abroad.The industrial sector has grown and now contributes to 33 percent of the state’s revenue. The state is also developing its non-polluting industries like biotechnology and food processing. Income from fishing is largely due to the export of prawns and shrimps.
Agriculture contributes to 7 percent of the state’s economy. Cereals such as rice, ragi, maize, jowar, bajra and lentils are profusely grown. Cash crops include coconuts and cashews, the latter being more lucrative. Areca-nuts, mangoes and jackfruits are also grown here.
Agro-based industries like Goan spiced sausages, pickles and preserves and spice preparations also find takers within and outside the state.
Feni, an indigenous drink produced from cashew apples, sells well both within the state and abroad. Goan handicrafts such as woodwork, shell items, brassware, pottery, handlooms, leather, and bamboo products also fetch good money.
Political Setup in Goa India
Goa has a unicameral Legislative Assembly, with 40 elected members. Goa has three elected representatives in Parliament. The Governor, who is the head of state, is advised by a Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister.Panaji, the capital, is located on the left bank of Mandovi. For administrative purposes, the state has been divided into two districts. North and South Goa, headquartered at Panaji and Margao, respectively, and six divisions comprising 11 talukas.
Culture and Customs of Goa India
Goa is an interesting mosaic of cultures. During the ancient and pre-medieval times, Hindu kings ruled over and influenced the state. But Goa has a pre-Hindu era in its history as well.For a short period, Muslim Kings of Hyderabad and Bijapur ruled Goa. Finally, when the Portuguese occupied Goa, they gave it a culture that sets the place apart from any other region. The intermingling of various cultures over the centuries has ensured that communal harmony prevails in Goa.
The Portuguese invasion of Goa resulted in the spread of Christianity there. The conversion from Hinduism to Christianity took place some 400 years ago. Such conversions in those days, used to ensure the retention of property rights. About 26 percent of the population today constitutes of Christians. Most of them are settled in the central taluka – Tiswadi, Mormugao, Bardez and Salcete.
Though not as dominant as in other parts of India, the caste system is still the clinching factor when it comes to marriages in Goa. The dowry system is prevalent among both the Hindus and Christians. Christian weddings, though very similar to those is the West, still have some rituals from the Hindu tradition.
Contemporary View of Goa India
On an average, more than two million people visit Goa every year, adding more color to the already vibrant culture of the state. For tourists, Goa is synonymous with beautiful stretches of beaches, sand, sun, dance and drinks.The long stretches of more than two dozen beaches, option of numerous adventure sports and excellent tropical climate make Goa a perfect holiday destination. But there is more to Goa than just sand, surf and enticing beaches.
The Goan feni, a bustling flea market, rocking night parties by the beachside and excellent seafood, have all made Goa a huge hit with tourists. Goa is now a fashionable destination for the elite in India who come both on business and pleasure trips.
Plant Life in Goa India
At least 3000 years of human settlement, intensive farming, and a fast-growing population mean much of Goa’s landscape is man-made, leaving little space for large wild animals.Around the coast and tourist resort areas, almost all the land is under cultivation with crops such as coconut and cashew, mango, pineapple and rice pushing out the wild flowers.
Many of the brilliant flowers which brighten the gardens and balconies of Goanese homes and resorts are imports, such as the scarlet and purple bougainvillea, originally from Brazil, which flourishes everywhere.
Most visitors arrive during the dry winter months, when anything which is not irrigated dies, and so miss the explosion of flowers and greenery which greets the first monsoon rains when they fall in June.
History of Goa India
Known under many different names, Goa has a rather chequered history stretching into the far distant past. Long before the arrival of the Portuguese, the control over Goa’s valuable natural harbours was contested by Hindu and Muslim princes.The Portuguese arrived in the 15th century and so Goa became a Portuguese colony, unlike the rest of the sub-continent, which formed part of the British Raj. Goa remained a Portuguese enclave until 1961.
Goa’s first Dravidian people mixed with settlers from the north, firstly from the Indus Valley, then with the Aryan invaders who began to arrive in India around 1500BC. From around the 3rd century BC, Goa came under the control of a number of would-be empire builders as part of the region then known as the Konkan.
By the 12th century it had become a distinct realm ruled by the Hindu Kadamba dynasty, with its capital, Govalpur, on the banks of the Zuari River where the ruins of Goa Velha now stand.
Its natural harbours also attracted traders from the Arab world, but very few reminders of this era survive, as later waves of invaders ruthlessly destroyed the palaces and temples of the land they conquered.
Note: I update this page on Goa India regularly. So, please do visit again to know more information about Goa India.
