Post Office :- Philatelic Bureau, Panaji HO, Pin Code :- 403001
Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western
Ghats. Panaji is the state's capital, while Vasco da
Gama is its largest city.The historic city of Margão in Goa still exhibits the cultural influence of the Portuguese, who first
voyaged to the subcontinent in the early 16th century as merchants, and conquered it soon thereafter, whereupon Goa became an overseas
territory of the Portuguese Empire, part of what was then known as Portuguese India, and remained as such for about 450 years until it was annexed by India in 1961.Goa's official language, which is spoken
by a majority of its inhabitants, is Konkani. The four
symbols that represent Goa – fish, cashew, the coconut tree and the gaur.
Reis Magos is a village located on the northern bank of
the Mandovi
River in Bardez, Goa, opposite to the capital city of Panjim. The village is famous for two of Goa’s famous structures;
the Reis Magos Fort, and the Reis Magos Church – the first church in Bardez. Predating Fort Aguada by half a century, a second, smaller fort that crowns
the headland jutting into the narrowest stretch of the Mandovi, almost facing the capital city Panjim, is the Reis Magos Fort. This Fort, surrounded by sturdy
laterite walls studded with typically Portuguese turrets, was erected in 1551
to protect the narrowest point at the mouth of the Mandovi estuary. It was
enlarged subsequently on different occasions and finally re-erected in 1707.
The fort formerly accommodated viceroys and other dignitaries newly arrived
from, or en route to, Lisbon, and in the early eighteenth century proved a linchpin in the
wars against the Hindu Marathas, who were never able to take it. The bastion was used as a
prison. Though far inferior in size to the fortress of Mormugao, yet standing on an eminence, it commands a splendid view
all around. It is in a good state of preservation and is defended by 33 guns
and accommodation for a small garrison. Towards the east, at a little distance
from it, flows a spring with abundance of excellent water, while at its base
rises the church of the Reis Magos, ascended by a beautiful flight of stairs.
Shri Manguesh temple is located at Mangeshi Village in Priol, Ponda taluk, Goa. Shree Mangueshi is the Kuldeva of Goud Saraswat Brahman. H.H.Shrimad Swamiji of Shri Kavale Math is Spiritual chief Of Shri Manguesh Saunsthan, Mangueshi. This temple is one of the largest and most frequently visited temples in Goa. In 2011, the temple along with others in the area instituted a dress code on visitors of the temple. This temple had its origins in Kushasthali Cortalim, a village in murmugao which fell to the invading Portuguese in 1543.In the year 1560, when the Portuguese started Christian conversions in mormugao taluka, the Saraswats of Kaundinya Gotra and Vatsa Gotra moved the Mangesh Linga from the original site at the Kushasthali or Cortalim on the banks of river Aghanashini (Zuari)(Sancoale) to its present location at Mangeshi in Priol village of Atrunja Taluka, which was then ruled by the Hindu kings of Sonde of Antruz Mahal (Ponda).
Mahadeva Temple, Tambdi Surla is a 12th-century Shaivite temple in the Kadamba style dedicated to Lord Shiva and an active place of Hindu worship. It is an ASI protected Monument
of National Importance in Goa. The temple was built in the Kadamba style from basalt, carried across the mountains from the Deccan plateau and carved by craftsmen. It is considered to
be the only specimen of Kadamba architecture in basalt stone preserved and
available in Goa. The temple survived untouched due to its remote location in a
clearing deep in the forest at the foot of the Western Ghats which surround the site.
Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is
located in northeastern Goa, India in Ponda taluka. The total area of the park
is 8 km. It is a popular destination for both tourists and schoolchildren.
A wide variety of animal life can be encountered, including: sambar deer, Indian bison, Malabar giant squirrel, Indian peafowl and many species of
snakes.Bondla provides sanctuary to leopards who have been injured in
human-wildlife conflict, as well as "dancing" bears and cobras who, along with their
trainers, need a new life after this treatment of endangered wildlife. Bondla
zoo is known for its successful breeding of gaur.
As it is the only zoo in Goa, many visit the zoo. The zoo provides an excellent
environment to breed and do researches on animals
Idea malabarica, the Malabar tree nymph, is a large butterfly found in peninsular India. that belongs to the danaid group of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in forest clearings and
above the forest canopy. The Malabar tree nymph has a wingspan of
120–154 mm. It appears as a mostly white butterfly with black markings.
Upperside semitransparent white, sometimes slightly infuscate with a powdering
of black scales. Forewing with the following black marks: narrow margins on
both sides of the veins, a dusky streak along dorsum, large sub-basal spots in
interspaces 1 and 2 (produced inwardly in former), a large oval spot crossing
three streaks in discoidal cell, a spot above it in interspace 11, a broad
margin to the discocellulars and three rows of spots on outer half of wing, the
discal series outwardly conical and curved sharply inwards opposite apex, the
subterminal series in pairs coalescent on the veins, the terminal series
elongate on veins and in interspaces; costa with a black streak at base, beyond
black and white alternately. Hindwing with similar markings; cell with two
streaks, the upper forked towards apex; costa white, two spots not touching the
vein below in interspace 8; paired spots on veins 5, 8, and 7 not coalescent
but one behind the other, black. Underside similar. Antennae black; head and
thorax streaked and spotted with black; abdomen white, with broad dusky black
streak above.
Fort Aguada is a well-preserved seventeenth-century Portuguese fort, along with a lighthouse, standing in Goa, India, on Sinquerim Beach, overlooking the Arabian Sea. It is an ASI protected Monument of National
Importance in Goa. The fort was originally constructed in
1612 to guard against the Dutch. It was a reference point for the
vessels coming from Europe at that time.
This old Portuguese fort stands on the beach south of Candolim, at the shore of the Mandovi River. It was initially tasked
with defense of shipping and the nearby Bardez sub-district.A freshwater
spring within the fort provided water supply to the ships that used to stop by.
This is how the fort got its name: Aguada, meaning watery in
the Portuguese language.
Crews of passing ships would often visit to replenish their freshwater stores.
The Aguada Fort Lighthouse erected
in 1864 is the oldest of its kind in Asia.
Built in 1612, it was once the grandstand of 79 cannons.It has the capacity of storing
2,376,000 gallons of water, one of the biggest freshwater
storage of the time in whole of Asia.
This fort is divided in two segments: the upper part acted as fort and watering
station, while the lower part served as a safe berth for Portuguese ships.Whereas the upper part has a moat, underground water storage chamber, gunpowder room, ighthouse, and bastions, it also has a secret escape
passage to use during time of war and emergency. The lighthouse at the initial
stage is used to emit light once in 7 minutes.
The Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) is a member of the Delphinidae family occupying coastal areas ranging from Southern Africa to Western Indochina. The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) was formerly included within the same species, but a 2014 study revealed them to be a separate speciesThe most limiting factor to habitat-usage is water depth, with most specimens remaining in waters shallower than 20 meters. As a result, the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin's offshore range is largely dependent on the coastlines' specific physiographical characteristics. The species has been reported to inhabit nearly every type of coastal habitat, although preference and prominence of any given habitat type is highly dependent on the geographical location. Indian Ocean humpback dolphins experience extremely high rates of calf and juvenile mortality due to anthropogenic disturbances such as environmental pollution, habitat deterioration and noise pollution.Indian Ocean humpback dolphins are social delphinids that live in groups averaging twelve individuals, although group size can be highly variable. The majority of their diet is composed of sciaenid fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans.
Margao or Madgaon is the commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It stands on banks of the Sal river and is the administrative
headquarters of Salcete sub-district and South Goa district. It is Goa's second largest city by population after Vasco. Margao in pre-Portuguese times was one of the
important settlements in Salcete and known
as Matha Grama (the village of Mathas) as it was a temple town with
nine Mathas in temple schools. Its replacement in 1579 was destroyed by
raiders. The present church was built in 1675.While the western side of the
Holy Spirit Church developed as a market place, the settlement grew on the
eastern side, that is, the Borda region.
Saint Mirabai, is Goa’s first pictorial cancellation stamp, depicting the sculpture of Saint Mirabai. It is on the sculpture of Mirabai at the Big Foot. Sculptured by Maendra Joceline Araujo Alvares, the founder of Big Foot, the sculpture is 14 meters x 5 meters completed single handed in 30 days. It is noteworthy that the Mirabai sculpture has entered six record books including Limca Book of Records for being the longest laterite sculpture completed with fastest speed.
The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys
olivacea), also known commonly as
the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the
second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the
world. L. olivacea is found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in
the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but also in the warm waters of the Atlantic
Ocean. This turtle and the related Kemp's ridley turtle are
best known for their unique synchronised mass nestings called arribadas,
where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
