West India · Goa
Panaji, Goa
Sources: wikimedia
About Panaji
- Riverside
- Coastal
Where it is
Panaji, or Panjim, is the capital of Goa, on the south bank of the Mandovi River estuary where it meets the Arabian Sea, in the Tiswadi sub-district of North Goa.
History
Panaji was a small settlement beside a fortified palace of Yusuf Adil Shah, the Bijapur sultan, when the Portuguese took Goa in 1510. The viceroys moved here from disease-stricken Old Goa in the 18th century, and in the 19th century Panaji, then called Nova Goa, became the capital of Portuguese India; after 1961 it became the capital of Goa.
People
Konkani is Goa's official language, and Marathi, English and Hindi are widely understood, while some older families still speak Portuguese. Panaji hosts Goa's Carnival parade in the days before Lent, and its Hindu and Catholic neighbourhoods keep their own feasts, bakeries and tavernas.
Known for
- The Fontainhas Latin Quarter
- The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
- Miramar beach
- The Old Secretariat, once Adil Shah's palace
- River cruises on the Mandovi
Did you know?
Since 2004 Panaji has hosted the International Film Festival of India, which made Goa its permanent venue that year.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.