The city of Ponda lies about 28kms south-east of Panaji and 17kms north-east of Margao and is also the capital of Ponda Taluka . The town was born after the Portuguese took over the area  in 1791 from the Raja of Sonda and annexed it  along with Quepem, Canacona and Sanguem forming the New Conquests. It began as an administrative center  with the establishment of administrative offices and court and soon became a commercial center. Most of the area known as Ponda today was a part of "Quela"  village. It lies strategically along the main Panaji-Margao highway and is also connected to the neighboring state of Karnataka via the Ponda-Belgaum highway or the NH-4.

Today it is an industrial city with many large factories and industrial estates nearby. Goa's only engineering college, the Goa College of Engineering is located at nearby Farmagudi.

Ponda taluka is most famous for its temples, most of which have made the area their home for centuries following displacement from their original sites elsewhere in Portuguese occupied Goa  during the  early days of the Inquisition.

Ponda is also the gateway to Goa's wildlife sanctuaries, both the Bondla and the Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and also the Dudhsagar Waterfalls.

There are regular bus services from Panaji and Margao and they depart from the KTC bus stand in the middle of town. There are also buses to  nearby villages  and towns leaving from here. The interstate buses also depart from the KTC bus stand.

Local Sight Seeing

Nearby cities Margao , Vasco da Gama , Panaji

Nearby beaches Colva, Benaulim, Majorda, Betalbatim, Betul, Canaguinim, Agonda, Palolem, Rajbhag, Polem

Nearby Churches Church of Holy Spirit , Margao Rachol Seminary, Rachol

Nearby Temples Shree Gopal Ganapathi, Farmagudi Shree Mhalasa Narayani Temple , Mardol Shree Mangueshi Temple , Priol Shree Laxminarsimha Temple , Nagueshi Shree Mahalaxmi Temple , Bandode Shree Ramnathi Temple , Ramnathi Shree Shantadurga Temple , Kavlem Shree Sanusthan Goudpadacharya, Kavlem Shree Navdurga Temple , Madkai Shree Damodar Temple , Zambaulim Shree Chandranath Temple , Paroda Shree Navdurga Temple , Borim Shree Shantadurga Temple , Fatorpa

Nearby Masjids Safa Shahouri Masjid, Ponda Jama Masjid, Sanguem

Nearby Monuments Cabo de Rama Buddhist caves, Rivona

Panaji
Panaji is the capital of the state of Goa and is located on the south bank of the wide Mandovi River

Margao
Margao is the main town of  South Goa , even and it still retains some of the old Port--uguese grandeur

Mapusa
This largest urban center of north Goa has made a mark due to the exotic weekly baz-aars that are held.

Vasco
A modern well laid out city close to Mormugao Harbour , this city houses the Dabolim International Airport.

Ponda
The city of Ponda lies about 28kms south-east of Panaji and 17kms north-east of Margao .