PonOda TURISM

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Safa Masjid

The mosque was located at the center of a sprawling complex of gardens and fountains remnants of which can be witnessed today. The mosque and the tank were formerly surrounded by an extensive garden with many fountains. They were destroyed during the Portuguese rule. This mosque is a venue of celebration during festivals of Id-Ul-Fitr and Id-Ul-Zuha, by the local Muslim community.

The Safa mosque survived the havoc wreaked by the Portuguese colonizers as part of the Inquisition process. During the reign of the Bijapur Sultan, the region witnessed a proliferation of mosques and Ponda alone was home to 27 of them. This is all that is left of the original mosque which was once surrounded by extensive gardens. There is a stone water tank adjacent to the mosque, whose walls are supported by underwater arches.

The interesting part of the complex is the huge tank with Hammams dotting its four interior sides in Meharab design. The whole complex was destroyed by the Portuguese when they occupied this part of the state. The oldest part of the Safa Shahouri Mosque is the water tank in front that used to be surrounded by a garden with many fountains.

Panaji | Marmagao Harbour | Mapusa | Madgaon (Margao)

| Ponda | Vasco-Da-Gama