Goa Velha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Goa Velha | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Saint Andrew's Church and School | |
  Goa Velha  Goa Velha | |
| Coordinates: 15°26′38″N 73°52′52″E / 15.444°N 73.881°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Goa |
| District | North Goa |
| Sub District | Ilhas |
| Founded by | Afonso de Albuquerque |
| Named after | "Goa - The Old" in Portuguese |
| Government | |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.20 km2 (2.39 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 4,322 |
| • Density | 700/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Konkani |
| • Also Spoken (understood) | English |
| • Historical | Portuguese |
| Religions | |
| • Dominant | Roman Catholicism |
| • Minor | Hinduism |
| • Historical | Roman Catholicism |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Postcode | 403108 |
| Telephone Code | 0832 |
Goa Velha is a small town in Ilhas de Goa subdistrict, Goa state, India. It should not be confused with the World Heritage Site of the historical city of Old Goa (Portuguese: Velha Goa). St Andrew's Church is its parish church. It is well known for its yearly 'Procession of the Saints' (Konkani: Santanchem Pursanv)
The town of Goa Velha was a southern suburb of the City of Goa, which was the original capital of Portuguese India. The Plagues of Goa in the 16th and 18th century gradually brought about the decline in the city's population. Goa Velha was one of the few areas on the Ilhas de Goa where populations of people began to cluster around. Velha Goa was once as vibrant as London or Lisbon with a population of more than 200,000. Then a disaster struck, and over the course of the next two centuries, the magnificent city was reduced to a shadow of its past.
In the 15th century, the Bijapur Sultanate built Velha Goa on the banks of Mandovi river. But once the Portuguese defeated Adil Shah in 1510 CE and took over the city, it served as the administrative seat of the Portuguese in India.
However, when plague and cholera epidemics started to ravage the city, people began to move out, and by 1775 only 1,500 people remained. This abandoned city came to be known as Velha Goa (Old Goa) to distinguish it from the new capital Nova Goa (New Goa - Panjim).