Goa

Panaji

Mandovi waterfront, azulejo tiles, and cashew plantations

Salt air mingles with the hum of ferry horns and chatter

Panaji, also Panjim. Capital of Goa, on the left bank of the Mandovi. Konkani and Marathi are the official languages; Portuguese survives in place names, surnames and law..

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

Shri Shantadurga Temple

Shanta Durga Temple

Dona paula

Ruins of Church of St. Augustine

Our Lady of the Rosary

Goa Cricket Association

GMC Athletic Stadium

Dr. Shyam Prasad Mukherjee Stadium

Santana Church

Museum of Goa

Science Center

St Bartholomew's Church

Museum of Christian Art

Campal Indoor Stadium

Chapel of St. Jerome

Miramar Beach

DoubleTree by Hilton Goa - Panaji

🔍 Search in Panaji 📷 Travelers' photos of Panaji 🖨️ Printable guide

Panaji is known for

🛍️ Cashew Feni🛍️ Goan Bebinca🛍️ Goa Mankurad Mango🛍️ Goan Khaje🛍️ Myndoli Banana🛍️ Khola Chilli🛍️ Harmal Chilli🛍️ Goan Cashew🛍️ Indo Portuguese Architecture🛍️ Goan Temple Architecture🛍️ Goan Catholic Cuisine

Why Panaji is famous

•What the buildings are: Manueline, Mannerist and Baroque styles, adapted to Indian conditions with local materials - a distinctly Indo-Portuguese idiom. Old Goa was called the Rome of the Orient.
•Best season: November to February. The Exposition, when it falls, runs November to early January. Carnival is immediately before Lent. Shigmo is in spring, not autumn.

AI-drafted from general knowledge — may contain mistakes.

Panaji at a glance

Before you go

Old Goa is a separate place from Panaji and needs half a day. Churches expect covered shoulders and knees and photography is restricted inside some. Feni is much stronger than it tastes. And the Inquisition is part of the history of these buildings - a visitor who reads about it afterwards and finds the guide said nothing has been short-changed.

History at a glance

1510 · PORTUGUESE
Portuguese rule is established in Goa. Old Goa becomes the capital of the Estado da India and is later called the Rome of the Orient.
16 May 1546 · PORTUGUESE
Francis Xavier writes to King John III of Portugal requesting the establishment of an Inquisition in Goa.
1552 · PORTUGUESE
Francis Xavier dies on 3 December on Shangchuan Island off the Chinese coast. His remains are later brought to Goa.
c. 1560 · PORTUGUESE
Patron families secretly remove the Mangesh lingam from Cortalim overnight and carry it across the Zuari into Adil Shahi territory, re-establishing it at Priol in Ponda. Temple records date this to 1560; Jesuit letters place it before 1 May 1560. The abandoned temple at Cortalim is used by Jesuit priests as a church.
1561 · PORTUGUESE
The Goa Inquisition begins operating. The Adil Shah palace at Old Goa is converted into the Inquisition House.
1562-1619 · PORTUGUESE
The Se Cathedral is built - among the largest churches in Asia, seat of the Archdiocese, with fifteen altars and the chapel of the Miraculous Cross.
1589 · PORTUGUESE
The Casa Professa, the Jesuit Professed House, is completed under Br Domingos Fernandes.
1594-1605 · PORTUGUESE
The Basilica of Bom Jesus is built. Construction begins in 1594 and is completed in May 1605.
1602 · PORTUGUESE
The Church of St Augustine is consecrated. Only the 46 m tower on Monte Santo survives today.
1622 · PORTUGUESE
Francis Xavier is canonised by Pope Gregory XV on 12 March, alongside Ignatius of Loyola.
1665 · PORTUGUESE
Grand Duke Ferdinand II of Tuscany commissions the tomb, executed in Florence with bronze work by Giovanni Battista Foggini.
1713-1738 · MARATHA / POST-FLIGHT
The present Shantadurga temple is built at Kavlem in Ponda, about 33 km from Panaji, by the Saraswat Brahmins who had carried the idol there.
1738 · POST-FLIGHT
The Shanta Durga temple at Kavale is established, per its own record.
1961 · MODERN
Goa is liberated from Portuguese rule and becomes part of India. Temples are rebuilt and renovated in the decades that follow.
1986 · MODERN
Churches and Convents of Goa is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 10th session, reference 234.
2014-2015 · MODERN
The 17th Solemn Exposition runs 22 November 2014 to 4 January 2015, drawing close to 4 million people.
2024-2025 · MODERN
The 18th Solemn Exposition runs 21 November 2024 to 5 January 2025 at the Se Cathedral. The ASI completed conservation across the seven core monuments beforehand, handling daily footfall of 1,500-2,000.

Best time to visit

November to February — curated for this destination

Panaji, being a coastal city in Goa, experiences a tropical monsoon climate with hot and humid summers, a brief mild winter, and a distinct monsoon season that brings heavy rainfall from June to September.

Panaji's own festivals

Exposition of the Sacred Relics · anchored to Announced by archiepiscopal decree
[DECENNIAL EVENT] The relics of St Francis Xavier are carried from the Basilica to the Cathedral and venerated for 45 days. The 18th ran 21 Nov 2024 to 5 Jan 2025.
Feast of St Francis Xavier · anchored to 3 December, fixed
[FEAST] The feast of Goencho Saib, on the anniversary of his death in 1552. A novena precedes it and Old Goa fills.
Goa Carnival · anchored to Immediately before Lent, computed from Easter
[FESTIVAL - MOVABLE] Float parades led by King Momo, three or four days before Ash Wednesday.
Shigmo · anchored to Phalgun - the spring month
The Goan spring festival, with float parades, folk troupes and traditional dance.
Feast of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception · anchored to 8 December, fixed
[FEAST] The city church's own feast, with a fair below the steps.
Sao Joao · anchored to 24 June, fixed
Young men jump into wells and ponds wearing crowns of leaves and fruit, to mark the feast of St John the Baptist. A monsoon festival - one of the few reasons to be in Goa in June.
Ganesh Chaturthi (Chavath) · anchored to Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi
The largest Hindu festival in Goa, observed at household level and, through the Portuguese period, observed discreetly within homes.
Temple zatras · anchored to Temple calendars
Shantadurga's Jatrautsav falls on Magh Shuddha Panchmi. Goan khaje is the sweet sold at zatras and at church feasts alike.

Coming up nationwide

In 3 daysDiwali · 8 November
In 5 daysGovardhan Puja · 10 November
In 6 daysBhai Dooj · 11 November
In 10 daysChhath Puja · 15 November

Real dates, not AI-drafted — sourced from the Hindu Panchang, same for every destination.

Weather details and any festival without a stated lunar anchor above are AI-drafted from general knowledge, not independently verified — timing is approximate; double-check before planning around one.

Part of these sacred circuits

Beaches of India Colonial Port & Enclave Towns UNESCO World Heritage Sites (India)

Local businesses

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A different trust signal from the curated places above — some run by their real owner, some pre-filled by Swamarg from its own place data until an owner claims them.