Mapusa

Mapusa
म्हापशें
म्हापसा
town

A street in Mapusa
Mapusa
Mapusa

Location in Goa, India

Coordinates: 15°36′N 73°49′E / 15.60°N 73.82°E / 15.60; 73.82Coordinates: 15°36′N 73°49′E / 15.60°N 73.82°E / 15.60; 73.82
Country  India
State Goa
District North Goa
Taluka Bardez
Elevation 15 m (49 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 39,989
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 403 507
Telephone code 0832
Vehicle registration GA-03
Website goa.gov.in

Mapusa (Konkani: mhapxem [mʱaːpʃɛ̃ː]; [mʱaːpsaː]) is a town in North Goa, India. It is situated 13 km north of the capital Panaji. The town is the headquarters of Bardez Taluka. It is located on the main highway NH-17, linking Mumbai to Kochi. In Portuguese the town's name is spelt Mapuçá.

History

Mapusa is a small town clustered around the Mount (Alto). The name Mapusa is thought to be derived from the Konkani word for a 'measure' - 'map' and the phrase fill up - 'sa'. Ancient Goan agrarian community had a well established Gaunkari or Community Farming System, where villages formed associations, worked on community land and shared profits. Market day was a major event, with goods brought in from every district to one central area. Mapusa has thus remained a prominent market center for many centuries.

Geography

Aerial View Of Mapusa

Mapusa is located at 15°36′N 73°49′E / 15.60°N 73.82°E / 15.60; 73.82.[1] It has an average elevation of 15 metres (49 feet).It lies on the banks of Mapusa River. Mapusa has a tropical climate with temperatures ranging from a high of 37 °C in summer with high levels of humidity to a low of 21 °C in winters.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census,[2] Mapusa had a population of 40,487. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Mapusa has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 73%. In Mapusa, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

Mapusa vendor selling vegetables

Mapusa is close to one of the main centres of Goa's tourism industry. Mapusa's proximity to many beaches in the north Goa makes it a suitable base during the tourist season (November to April). Because it is a mainly commercial town (for locals) with a large resident population, Mapusa has only a limited number of hotels and accommodation.

A street in Mapusa

Mapusa comes alive on Friday, the traditional market day also known as Mapusa Friday Market. People from surrounding villages and towns come to Mapusa to sell their wares. This fair has a lot of local flavour (unlike some other tourist-oriented fairs or markets) and specialises in agricultural produce, vegetables, locally-grown fruit, spices, clothes and even plants (mainly during the monsoon planting season).

Every Friday, the Mapusa Market bulges at the seams, with seemingly every square inch of space occupied by sellers with only just enough room for the prospective buyers, the alleys between the regular stalls being occupied with temporary mats and boards. From lottery tickets displayed in great swathes to barber shops, the bazaar caters for almost every requirement imaginable. There is the fish street, dried fish of all possible varieties and whole fresh fish from baby shark and squid to the ubiquitous bangda (mackerel). Fresh fruit and vegetables are gathered together and beautifully displayed, from huge sweet potatoes, and pumpkins and the local shiny red brown Moira bananas to the tiny fresh beans and other pulses.

Education

Mapusa houses several prominent Goan educational institutions, including Saraswat Vidyalaya, St. Mary's Convent High School, St. Britto's High School, New Goa High School, St. Antony's High School, Mapusa High School, Dyanprasarak High School, Shree Ganesh Vidya Mandir, DMC Higher Secondary and college of Art, Science and Commerce, St. Xavier's College, and St. Xavier's Higher Secondary School.

Landmarks

Shree Dev Bodgeshwer
Colonial Era Municipal Building Mapusa
Milagres Church Mapusa
Verla-Canca Saibaba Temple located outside Mapusa

Mapusa, however, does not have too many tourist sites. There are a few colonial era Municipal building on the Altinho hill, it is a fairly small town with mostly modern building spread around the slopes of a small hillock called Altinho.

The most famous shrine Shree Dev Bodgeshwar Sansthan of Lord Bodgeshwar, located on the outskirts of the town in the middle of some rice fields, which is beautifully lit up at night and draws thousands of devotees for its annual Jatra.


Church of Our Lady of Miracles, founded in 1594 and rebuilt several times since, the Church (also known as St Jerome’s), around 600m east of the Municipal Gardens, is famous more for its annual festival than for its architecture. It was built by the Portuguese on the site of an old Hindu temple, and thus the Hindu community still holds the site as sacred. On the sixteenth day after Easter, the church’s annual feast day is celebrated here by both Hindus and Christians – one of the best examples of the way in which Hinduism and Christianity often coexist merrily in Goa.


Maruti Temple, in the centre of town, the small, pastel- coloured Maruti temple was built in the 1840s at a site where Hanuman was covertly worshipped during more oppressive periods of Portuguese rule. After temples had been destroyed by the Portuguese, devotees placed a picture of Hanuman at the fireworks shop that stood here, and arrived cloaked in secrecy to perform pujas (prayers). In April 1843 the picture was replaced by a silver idol and an increasing number of worshippers began to gather here. Eventually the business community of Mapusa gathered enough funds to acquire the shop, and the temple was built in its place. The intricate carvings at the doorway of the temple are the work of local artisans.

Famous people from Mapusa

References

  1. ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Mapusa
  2. ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
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