Kon: म्हापशें mhāpaśēna
‘Large Land Grant’ [Mahapasaita] – Town/Capital
From Skt: mahā, ‘great’, ‘large’; and Mar: pasaita, ‘land grant (in return for services)’.
Mahapasaita was clearly too much of a mouthful for the Portuguese. They called it Mabussa and then Mapuça. Pasaita or service lands were given to village servants, craftsmen or officers in return for employment.
Mapusa had a well deeveloped Gaunkari or Community Farming System, where villages formed cooperatives, shared community land and divided profits among themselves. Mapusa was a central marketplace for produce from all parts of the region.
Mapusa in the HQ/Capital of Bardez Taluka in North Goa District.
Friday market in Mapusa Aaron C
