The Safa Shahouri Masjid, Goa’s oldest remaining mosque, is on Ponda’s northern outskirts. Built by Bijapuri ruler Ali Adil Shah in 1560, it was originally surrounded by gardens, fountains and a palace, and is said to have matched the mosques at Bijapur in size and quality. Today little remains of the mosque’s former grandeur, despite attempts at restoration by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
8.76 MILES
Famous throughout the Roman Catholic world, the imposing Basilica de Bom Jesus contains the tomb and mortal remains of St Francis Xavier, the so-called…
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8.88 MILES
At over 76m long and 55m wide, the cavernous Sé Cathedral is the largest church in Asia. Building commenced in 1562, on the orders of King Dom Sebastiao…
Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
13.04 MILES
Panaji’s spiritual, as well as geographical, centre is this elevated, pearly white church, built in 1619 over an older, smaller 1540 chapel, and stacked…
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10.57 MILES
Artist and restorer Victor Hugo Gomes first noticed the slow extinction of traditional objects – from farming tools to kitchen utensils to altarpieces –…
10.41 MILES
Braganza House, built in the 17th century and stretching along one whole side of Chandor’s village square, is the biggest Portuguese mansion of its kind…
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14.15 MILES
Opened to the public in 2012 as a cultural centre, Reis Magos Fort overlooks the narrowest point of the Mandovi River estuary, making it easy to…
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14.06 MILES
About 8km southeast of Chandor is the busy small town of Quepem. Here the Palácio do Deão, the renovated 18th-century palace built by the town’s founder,…
21.51 MILES
Situated in the far southeastern corner of the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa’s most impressive waterfall splashes down just west of the border…
Nearby attractions
1.13 MILES
In the village of Bandode is the small and peaceful Naguesh Temple. The most striking part of the temple is the ancient water tank, with its overhanging…
1.22 MILES
Surrounded by forest and paddy fields, the Shri Shantadurga Temple is one of the most famous shrines in Goa and is consequently packed with those who come…
1.38 MILES
Only 4km outside Ponda, and a stone’s throw from Naguesh Temple, is the relatively uninspiring Mahalaxmi Temple. The goddess Mahalaxmi, looked upon as the…
1.41 MILES
Though undoubtedly one of Ponda’s less-attractive temples, Shri Ramnath is notable for the impressive and extravagant silver screen on the door to the…
1.53 MILES
This well-touristed farm, just 2km from Ponda near the village of Curti, also has elephant rides and elephant bathing in the small river, but these…
6. Butterfly Conservatory of Goa
1.75 MILES
This small butterfly sanctuary, 5km north of Ponda, is home to more than 100 species of free-flying butterflies (it’s not enclosed) in a small patch of…
7. Shri Laxmi Narasimha Temple
2.57 MILES
Almost immediately after leaving the village of Mardol on the main road, a side road to the right takes you up a hill towards the little village of…
2.95 MILES
The Mahalsa Temple, 1km down the road from the Shri Manguesh Temple, is in the tiny village of Mardol. This temple’s deity originally resided in an…