Kon: मडगाव maḍagāva
‘Monastery Village’ [Maṭhagrāma, Madgao(n)] -City/Capital
From Skt: maṭh(a), ‘hermitage’, ‘monastery’, ‘temple’; and Skt: grāma→Mar/Kon: gaon/gaun, ‘village’.
Margão is the Portuguese spelling (with nasalised ending), and Madgao(n) is the name used in Konkani and Marathi.
The town has been home to shrines to Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath, both Natha ascetics, and a Vaishnavite monastery; this spiritual connexion is reflected in its original name in pre-Portuguese times, Maṭhagrāma.
Margao is famous for its curry, spices and dried fish: there is even a curry brand in Portugal called ‘Margao’ which promises a ‘world of flavours’.
Margão is the capital/HQ of Salcete sub-district and South Goa district and the commercial capital of Goa.
Margao Klaus Nahr
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