Margao in Goa-India - Travel guide to tourist attractions, beaches, churches and other holiday spots in Madgaon

Margao is the second largest city in Goa and is considered as its commercial capital. It is the headquarters of the Salcette Taluk located in South Goa district. It also goes by the name of Madgaon (pronounced in Konkani).

You can see many of Madgaon's streets lined with Portuguese - style houses and cobbled streets. Margao was an important religious town long before the Portuguese came and settled here. It was then famous for its many beautifully built temples. Long before the Portuguese came here it had a university with a library.

During the Portuguese conquest in 1543, Hindu temples were demolished and Catholic churches were built in their place. Almost all traces of Hindu settlements were wiped out. The first church to be built in Margao, and its replacement in 1579, were destroyed by raiders along with the seminary that had been built alongside. The present church was built in 1675.

Madgaon has the largest railway station in Goa and is an important link in the Konkan railway. All trains passing through Goa stop here; you can easily have Margao as you base for exploring South Goa and its attractions.

Though Margao isn't of popular interest to tourists looking for Goa's beaches, it still has a few historic monuments that you can spend time exploring. There are however, a few prominent and beautiful beaches around Margao.

The Church of the Holy Spirit is Margao's famous landmark. The ‘closed market' is anther attraction here. , the chapel at Monte Hill, the Hindu crematorium or 'Smashan' and the Muslim burial ground or 'Kabrasthan' both situated on Pajifond's Rua das Saudades.

The famous churches in Margao are the Holy Spirit Church, the Grace Church, The St Sebastian chapel in Aquem and the Monte Hill Chapel, the famous temples are the 'Damodar Temple'(Saal) , the 'Hari Mandir', the 'Maruti Mandir' at Davorlim the 'Saibaba Temple' at Davorlim ,the 'Shiv Temple'(Ling) at Fatorda near Nehru Stadium. There are 2 mosques in Margao, One in the Malbhat area and one on the Monte hill catering to the Muslim population in these areas.