Vasco da Gama

Mormugao Port, Vasco da Gama- Goa

29 km south west of Panjim, on the narrow western tip of the Marmogoa Peninsula is Vasco da Gama. Overlooking the Zuari river, it's a city that is named after the famous Portuguese sailor, Vasco da Gama. The history of the place states that the Portuguese got hold of it around 1543 and within a span of few years converted it into one of the most sought after ports of India. A fort was constructed at Sada so as to easen up the task of monitoring the movements of ships into the Zuari river. The fort played an important role during the year 1685 when the Maratha king Sambhaji marched in with his army to capture the place. The Portuguese, worried about the safety of their women and children, used the fort as a safe haven.

Around this time, plans were also made to shift the capital city from Old Goa. Vasco, or rather Marmugoa, was a strong contender for the post. The Viceroy of the time, D Fransico de Tavora was in favour of Vasco becoming the capital city of Goa. For this purpose, numerous construction work were carried out. Viceroy's Palace, offices and warehouse sprung up to take care of the needs of future. However, the plans came to an abrupt end when the court of Lisbon scrapped the plans of making Vasco as the capital of Goa. This was despite the fact that Vasco is the only city in entire Goa that is well connected by all means, both within and outside the state. It is the only city that has an air, rail, road and sea links.

Today, Vasco exudes all the charms of a metropolitan city. People from all over India have made Vasco da Gama their home. The town of Vasco is well planned. It is laid out straight with parallel roads connected to each other by smaller bylanes.

Being a commercial hub, Vasco is more liked by business class people. It provides good connectivity and also has a number of good hotels to stay in. However, if you come to Vasco thinking that there are a number worth visiting sites, then probably you'll end up a bit disappointed. This is not to say that there is absolutely nothing at all to see and do in Vasco, but perhaps they are few and numbered.