Ponda is a city and a municipal council in the South Goa district of Goa, India. Located in the central area of Goa, Ponda lies 28 km (17 miles) southeast of Panaji, the capital of Goa and 17 km (10.6 miles) northeast of Margao. Ponda is also known as "Antruz Mahal" because of the presence of numerous famous temples and rich cultural heritage. The industrial center of the state, Ponda is home to many large factories and industrial estates, and is Goa's fastest-growing city. Ponda formed part of the Novas Conquistas (New Conquests) of Portuguese India. It was ruled by the Sonde Rajas under the Vijayanagara Empire and the Bijapur Sultanate. In the 16th century, due to the absence of the Portuguese, Ponda was a safe haven for Hindus fleeing persecution by Jesuits and the Portuguese. In 1675, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj seized Ponda from the Bijapur Sultanate. It remained part of the Maratha Empire until 1764. Under Shivaji, Saundekar Raja was the vassal of Ponda. The forests of Ponda were ideal places for Hindus to form makeshift temples with the idols they had salvaged from the broken temples of Sashti. These makeshift temples were slowly renovated as the Hindus gained prosperity. Now, most of the major Hindu temples in Goa are found in Ponda. The Portuguese eventually took over the area in 1791 from the Raja of Sonda, along with Quepem, Canacona and Sanguem. It began as an administrative center with the establishment of administrative offices and court, and soon became a commercial center. Most of the area known as Ponda today was a part of Kavale village. The religious zeal of the Portuguese had ebbed by the 18th century, and Portugal itself had seen many political and religious changes due to the prevailing inquisition, so Ponda continued to have a Hindu majority even during Portuguese rule. Ponda was known as Antruz Mahal during Portuguese rule. Ponda lies along the National Highway 4A, which connects Panaji to Belgaum in the neighboring state of Karnataka. There are many Hindu temples in and around Ponda. The Gram Daivat (root deity) of Ponda is Shri Kapleshwar, whose temple is in Kapileshwari, Kavlem[citation needed]. The famous Temples of Shri Manguesh (Shiva), Shri Nagesh, Shri Ganapati, Shri Ramnath and the Goddesses Shri Shantadurga, Shri Mahalasa, Shri Mahalaxmi are all located nearby. The historic Safa Masjid is a mosque built in 1560 by the Bijapuri ruler Ibrahim Adil Shah I about 2 km from center of Ponda. It is one of two sixteenth century Islamic monuments in Goa that survived the Portuguese inquisition. Ponda is the gateway to Goa's wildlife sanctuaries, both the Bondla and the Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, and also to the Dudhsagar Waterfalls. The nearby Butterfly Conservatory of Goa attracts nature enthusiasts. It is at Pisgal, Priol, and very close to the Tropical Spice Plantation. Ponda is connected by road to the capital of Goa Panaji ,to the main railway junction of Margao and to the International Airport at Dabolim. Regularly-scheduled bus services to Panaji, Margao & Vasco (near Dabolim) depart from the Kadamba Transport Corporation bus stand on the outskirts of the town. Buses to nearby villages and towns, as well as interstate buses, also depart from the same bus stand. There are buses regularly between Ponda and Dharwad, Hubli and Belgaum run by the Kadamba Transport Corporation & Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation. The national highway 17B connects Ponda to Vasco via Verna. The national highway 4A connects to Belgaum/Hubli and Panaji.
