Mapusa (Goan Konkani: Mhapxem) is a city in North Goa, India. It is situated 13 km north of the state capital of Panaji. The city is the headquarters of Bardeztaluka. It is located on the main highway NH-17, linking Mumbai to Kochi. During Portuguese India, the city was known as "Mapuçá".
History
Mapusa is a small city 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.
Geography
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Mapusa is located at 15°36′N73°49′E / 15.60°N 73.82°E / 15.60; 73.82.[1] It has an average elevation of 15 metres (49 feet). It lies on the banks of Mapusa River.
Mapusa has a tropical climate with temperatures ranging from a high of 37 °C in summer with high levels of humidity to a low of 21 °C in winters.
Demographics
[needs update]
As of the 2011 Census of India,[2] Mapusa had a population of 40,487. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Mapusa has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 73%. In Mapusa, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Mapusa is close to one of the main centres of Goa's tourism industry. Mapusa's proximity to many beaches in the north of Goa makes it a suitable base during the tourist season (November to April). Because it is a mainly commercial city (for locals) with a large resident population, Mapusa has only a limited number of hotels and accommodation.
Mapusa comes alive on Friday, the traditional market day also known as Mapusa Friday Market. People from surrounding villages and towns come to Mapusa to sell their wares. This fair has a lot of local flavour (unlike some other tourist-oriented fairs or markets) and specialises in agricultural produce, vegetables, locally grown fruit, spices, clothes and even plants (mainly during the monsoon planting season).
Every Friday, the Mapusa Market bulges at the seams, with seemingly every square inch of space occupied by sellers with only just enough room for the prospective buyers, the alleys between the regular stalls being occupied with temporary mats and boards. From lottery tickets displayed in great swathes to barber shops, the bazaar caters for almost every requirement imaginable. There is the fish street, dried fish of all possible varieties and whole fresh fish from baby shark and squid to the ubiquitous bangda (mackerel). Fresh fruit and vegetables are gathered together and beautifully displayed, from huge sweet potatoes, and pumpkins and the local shiny red brown Moira bananas to the tiny fresh beans and other pulses.
Education
As of November 2023, the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education recognised the following institutes in Mapusa.[3]
Higher secondary schools
St. Xavier's Higher Secondary School
DMS PVS Sarojini Madhusudan Kushe Higher Secondary School
Purushottom Walawalkar Higher Secondary School was established in 1988 and is run by the Saraswat Vidyalaya Society.[4]
Mapusa, however, does not have too many tourist sites. There are a few colonial era Municipal buildings on the Altinho hill, but it is a fairly small city with mostly modern buildings spread around the slopes of Altinho.[citation needed]
The most famous local shrine is Shree Dev Bodgeshwar Sansthan of Lord Bodgeshwar, located on the outskirts of the city in the middle of some rice fields, which is beautifully lit up at night and draw thousands of devotees for its annual Jatra.[citation needed]
The Mapusa Market gathers Goan traders as well as merchants from adjacent states for goods such as spices, toddy and home-grown goods.[9] For example, there are four varieties of locally grown bananas sold in this market and other varieties imported from Karnataka. There is also a part of the market where the traders specialize in repairing utensils such as blenders and food mixers for the preparation of spices.
^Hashemi-Nezhad, Bahbak, Burton, Andrew and Losal, Stanzin (10 December 2017). "Mapping Mapusa Market". Research Online. Retrieved 21 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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