Ponda, known as Antruz Mahal because of the concentration of culture, music, drama and poetry also houses the temples of Lord Mangesh (Shiva), Lord Nagesh, Lord Ganapati, Lord Ramnath and the Goddesses Mahalasa and Shantdurga. Safa Masjid, 2km west on the Panjim road was built in 1560 by the Bijapuri ruler Ibrahim Adil Shah, this small mosque, with its whitewashed walls and pointed terra-cotta tile roof, is renowned less for its run-of-the-mill architecture than for being one of only two Islamic shrines in Goa to survive the excesses of the Portuguese Inquisition.
AccessPonda is served by regular buses from Panjim and Margao, and lies on the main route east to Karnataka.
Excursions Atash, President, Farmagudi
