GTDC Farmagudi Hill Retreat, Goa
  
They say with more than 300 ancient temples and shrines in
Ponda, surely this area is the abode of the gods.
If Ponda is Heaven then Farmagudi
is the gateway to Heaven. is at the entrance to Ponda. Farmagudi
Residency is a beautifully laid out group of elegant cottages,
who would not be out-of place on a Swiss mountain. With its sloping
roofs and clean lines with a short decorative flight of steps leading
to each cottage, Farmagudi Residency looks beautiful
set in a beautiful garden with winding flower edged paths. The Residency
has a restaurant in one cottage complete with an outdoors restaurant
too. Farmagudi has a large open air hall too for
weddings and receptions. This is the perfect place to relax at for
those who have come on a religious pilgrimage to the temples of
Ponda. Guaranteeing maximum privacy, the cottage accommodation ensures
complete peace of mind.
Nearby Places to Farmagudi Hill Retreat, Goa
Drive to Hindu temples around Ponda
for a fascinating insight into the distinctive character of the
Goan Hindu architecture. Visit the most important
temples, Mangueshi Temple, dedicated
to lord shiva and the Nagueshi temple in the tiny
hamlet of Bandora.
The Mahalsa Narayani temple,
just 2kms from Mangueshi, is dedicated to Lord
Vishnu’s consort Laxmi or according to some, His
female form, Mohini.
One of the largest and the most famous of Goa’s
temples dedicated to Shri Shantadurga (1738), the
wife of Lord Shiva also known as the Goddess of Peace, lies just
3kms south west of Ponda Town .
Ponda town has retained its
Hindu origins and cultures through the various rampages of history
and is said to be the central point of the state.
The Safa Masjid on the national
highway, west of town is the largest of Goa’s
26 mosques and built by Ibrahim Adi Shah in 1560.
It has a simple rectangular chamber on a low plinth, with a pointed
pitched roof, very much in the local architectural style, although
the cupped arches are distinctly Bijapuri.
Bondla wild life sanctuary is also widely popular
amongst the tourist. A small, 8sq. kms sanctuary at the foot of
the hills of the Western Ghats has a mini zoo that
guarantees sightings of Goa ’s wild life
in natural surroundings and also offers short elephant rides. The
park also has an attractive botanical garden setting
and a 2.4km nature trail with water holes, a lake and a tree top
observation tower.
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