Goa City Travel
The origin of Goa or Gomantak as it is also known, is lost in the mists of time.
In the later Vedic period (1000-500 BC), when the Hindu epic Mahabharat was
written, Goa has been referred to with the Sanskrit name Gomantak, a word with
many meanings, but signifying generally a fertile land.
The most famous legend associated with Goa, is that of the mythical sage Parashuram
(the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), who several thousand years ago created
the entire stretch of Konkan coast by ordering the seas to recede. The Sea God
gave up the lands on the the banks of the two main rivers of Goa viz. Mandovi
and Zuari (then called Gomati and Asghanasini) for the settlement of the Aryans
accompanying Parashurama.
Another legend, less well known, states that the coastal area of Konkan enchanted
Lord Krishna, who was charmed by the beautiful ladies bathing in the area. The
ladies in turn, were so taken up by the melodious music coming from his flute,
that they kept dancing forgetting their daily chores. Lord Krishna, then named
the land Govapuri after the cows (gov) belonging to the locals.
The history of the sacred land of Gomantak, 'land of the Gods' is well described
in Sahyadri Khand of Skandha Purana, the ancient text of Hindu religion. According
to this story narrated in the Chapter Shantiparva of Mahabharat, a Brahmin from
the Saraswat family, Parashuram, annihilated the entire community of the warrior
tribe Kshatriyas and gifted the conquered land to a sage named Kashyapmuni.
Unfortunately, the Kshatriya annihilation meant that the land was left unadministered
and fell into anarchy and chaos. The worried sage Kashyapmuni, requested Parashuram
to leave the area and settle elsewhere. Parashuram came south and reclaimed
new land by ordering the sea to recede and give up the coastal land. This land
known as "Aparant" or "Shurparak" is spread between the
Sahyadri mountains and Sindhusagar. Goa which was liberated on 19
th
December, 1961 alongwhh Daman and Diu from 451 years Portuguese Colonial Rule,
became the 25
th State of the Indian Union when it was conferred Statehood
on 30
th May, 1987.
Although, Goa joined national mainstream only after 14-years of the country's
independence, tourist traffic to Goa registered such phenomenal growth that
from 2.00 lakhs tourists in 1975 the figure has shot up to 11.26 lakhs in 1996
of which domestic tourists comprise 8.88 lakhs and foreigners account for 2.37
lakhs including almost 73,000 through charter flights from U.K. Germany. Switzerland,
Finland. As on today, the total bed capacity stands at 21,000 beds, of which
the public sector account for 10% with the rest in the private sector. With
the projected rise in tourist traffic to 14 lakhs by the turn of century, the
bed capacity would require further augmentation of at least 20 thousand.
Beaches in Goa
Goa is one of India's special tourist places that can boast of fantastic weather,
fabulous beaches, wonderful people, mouth-watering cuisine, forts.
There are beaches far from human habitation with very basic or sometimes no
facility for accommodation. Then there are some with ultra modern comforts like
internet cafes, massage centers, gyms, swimming pools, night clubs, etc. With
such an enormous choice, one might feel confused about which one to take.
Anjuna Beach: Anjuna, 18 kms from Panaji is a popular beach area adjacent
to Chapora fort- it was the haunt of the flower generation in the sixties -
and is still popular with the younger generation.
Calangute Beach: Calangute is the beach to which everyone heads for the
moment they land in Goa. So it is natural that it is overcrowded in both in
peak and off seasons
Dona Paula Beach: 7 kms from Panaji. An idyllic picturesque spot. Command
a fine view of the Zuari river and Mormugao Harbour. Water scootering facilities
are available here.
Arambol Beach: Arambol Beach is 50 kms from Panaji. A unique beach in
the North Goa, is both rocky and sandy beach and much sought after.
Palolem Beach: It’s a beach of white sand facing a blue bay between
two headlands. The little wooded islands on the northern headland look interesting
but as we’ve never ventured onto any of them we don’t know what landing
on them would be like.
Agonda Beach: If you continue driving towards Panaji from Palolem, the
next beach is Agonda. It’s long and lonely, fringed with palms and casuarinas
and dominated by a large hill to the south.
Vagator Beach: This beautiful beach is located about 22 Kms from Panaji
and is situated in Bardez taluka. This is part of a 30 km stretch of beach coastline
along the west coast of Goa by the arabian sea that begins at Fort Aguada continues
as Sinquerim beach.
Miramar Beach: This beautiful beach is located about 3kms from Panaji.
It lies adjoining the estuary of the river Mandovi as it opens into the Arabian
sea. It was originally known as the "Gasper Dias Beach".
Colva Beach: This is the most important beach in the south circuit equipped
with all modern amenities like air-conditioned resort complexes, tourist cottages,
discos, seashell artefact stalls, refreshment stalls, eateries, guest houses,
expanding the village enormously.
How to Reach Goa
By Air: Goa is well connected by airline services to most major cities
in India. All flights, national and international, to and from Goa, operate
from the Goa Airport at Dabolim near the port town of Vasco-da-Gama.
The airport is about 30 kms from the capital city of Panaji and is owned by
the Indian Navy. Major airline operators such as Indian Airlines, Jet Airways
and Sahara Airlines have flights carrying passengers and cargo in and out of
Goa. Besides these, a number of chartered flights land in Goa from UK and other
European countries. The national airline Air India also lands a few international
flights, especially from the Gulf countries.
Most of the local airlines have a contact phone number in the city as well as
at the airport where the latest information about flight status is always available.
The list of phone numbers is available in the travel services section of the
website.
It is advisable to book your tickets well in advance, especially during the
high peak tourist season of October to January when most flights run full. It
is also essential to re-confirm your flight timings at least 24 hours before
departure.
Most major international airlines usually have agreements with one or more of
their domestic counterparts in India, so if you are arriving from abroad it
is possible to book your onward domestic flight at the same time as you pay
for your international ticket.
Rail: Goa is connected with Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Secunderabad, Tirupati
via Londa junction on the Mirage-Bangalore sector of south central railway,
and to Mumbai, and Mangalore on the Konkan Railway Corporation section. Convenient
stations are Margao/Vasco and Karmali.
Road: Panaji, the capital of Goa, is connected by road to Bangalore-598
kms, Belgaum-157 km, Bombay-594 km, Gokarn-154 km, Hospet-315 km, Hubli-184
km, Karwar-103 km, Kolhapur-246 km, Malwan-150 km, Mangalore-371 kms, Mysore-696
kms, Pune-458 kms, Ratnagiri-263 kms, Vengurla-73 kms etc.
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