Margao is Goa's second largest but busiest town, the commercial capital of the state, and the administrative headquarters of South Goa District and of the Salcette taluka.
History
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. Most of the inhabitants were Brahmins (GSB and Daivajnas). It was then famous for its many beautifully built temples. Long before the Portuguese came here, it had a university with a library.[citation needed] During the Portuguese conquest in 1543, Hindu temples were demolished and Catholic churches were built in their place.[citation needed] Almost all traces of Hindu settlements were wiped out.[citation needed] The first church to be built in Margão, and its replacement in 1579, were destroyed by raiders along with the seminary that had been built alongside.
The initial settlement of Margao grew from the site of the ancient Damodar Temple. The original temple was demolished and the temple tank was filled up to be replaced by the Holy Spirit church and church grounds. The Hindus carried their deity Damodar (a form of Lord Shiva) across the Zuari Agranashini river to the Hindu territories held by the Sonde rulers.[citation needed] While the western side of the Church developed as a market place, the settlement grew on the eastern side, that is, the Borda region, with the church at its core and extended outwards.
The Holy Spirit main square is defined on one side by the church with its baroque architecture and the parochial house, and on the other side by the palatial mansions of affluent elite Catholics, positioned in a row. The Associação das Communidades building and the school being the odd exceptions. They add to its character and sense of scale. They have a maximum height of two stories, and balcões and varandas facing the square. Parallel to the church square is the commercial street (old market). There is also a landscaped area next to the church called Praça da Alegria (joy square).
Margao's importance as an administrative and commercial area grew with the increasing dependence of the surrounding towns and villages; leading to the administrative centre with the town hall at its centre being built in the south. The commercial market became attached to it and was hence called maud-gao or the market town of Goa, and since then the city has grown towards the east.
In 1961, Goa was incorporated into the Indian Union, and Margao was declared as the administrative centre of the district of South Goa.
