Mapusa

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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Map of Goa

Mapusa (मापूसा) is a town in North Goa, India. The town is the headquarters of Bardez Taluka.

Variants

• Mapuça: In Portuguese, the town is known as Mapuça.
• Mapusa River

Location

Mapusa is situated 13 km north of the capital Panaji. It is located on the main highway NH-17, linking Mumbai to Kochi. Mapusa is located at 15.60°N 73.82°E. It has an average elevation of 15 metres.It lies on the banks of Mapusa River.

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.

Landmarks

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

The most famous local shrine is Shree Dev Bodgeshwar (बोड़गेश्वर) 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.

The Church of Our Lady of Miracles, founded in 1594 and rebuilt several times since, located 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, is a small, pastel-coloured Maruti temple that 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.

The Mapusa Market gathers Goan traders as well as merchants from adjacent states for goods such as spices, toddy and home-grown goods. For example, there are four varieties of locally growned bananas sold in this market and other varieties imported from Karnataka. There is also a part of the market where the traders specialise in repairing ustensiles such as blenders and food mixers for the preparation of spices.

Duler Stadium is an association football stadium located in Mapusa. The 10000 seater stadium has Astroturf surface. Goa Professional League and Santosh Trophy games are held here.

Bodgeshwar Temple at Mapusa

Shree Dev Bodgeshwer

Bodgeshwar Temple at Mapusa

The Bodgeshwar temple is situated near Mapusa at about 12 kms from Panaji. The temple is situated in a lush green environment and has a small shrine which is dedicated to Kanakeshwar Baba or Bodgeshwar, locally known as Bongini.

Bodgeshwar is regarded as 'Angavani' which refers to one to whom vows are made and who fulfills desires of the devotees. Hence there is a belief among people that all their prayers will be fulfilled and thousands of devotees flock to this temple. The people also offer presents to the God as promised by them on fulfillment of their desires.

The festival of the God Kanakeshwar Baba is usually celebrated during the months of December / January at the Shree Dev Bodgeshwar Temple. An annual fair or 'Zatra' is held during the festival which thronged by both locals and the tourists alike. Infact according to some Mapusa developed as a flourishing market center because of the Bodgeshwar festival.

Reference - https://www.goaholidayhomes.com/information/bodgeshwar-temple-at-mapusa.html

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