| Goa, a tiny emerald land on the west coast of
India, the 25th State in the Union of States of
India, was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961.
It was part of Union territory of Goa, Daman &
Diu till 30 May 1987 when it was carved out to form
a separate State. Goa covers an area of 3702
square kilometers and comprises two Revenue district
viz North Goa and South Goa. Boundaries of Goa
State are defined in the North Terekhol river
which separates it from Maharashtra, in the East
and South by Karnataka State and West by Arabian
Sea. Goa lies in Western Coast of India and is
594 Kms (by road) away from Mumbai city.
 A
very striking feature of Goa is the harmonious
relationship among various religious communities,
who have lived together peacefully for generations.
Goa, for the purpose of revenue administration
is divided into district viz. North and South
Goa with headquarters at Panaji and Margao respectively.
The entire State comprises 11 talukas. For the
purpose of implementation of development programmes
the State is divided into 12 community development
blocks. As per 2001 census, the population of
the State is 13,42,998.
Administratively the State is organised into
two districts North Goa comprising six talukas
with a total area of 1736 sq. kms. and South Goa
comprising five talukas with an area of 1966 sq.
kilometers. In all there are 383 villages of which
233 are in North Goa district and 150 in South
Goa district. As per the 2001 census, there are
44 towns of which 14 are Municipalities and remaining
are census towns.
Goa has a long history stretching back to the 3rd
century BC, when it formed part of the Mauryan Empire.
Goa was later ruled by the Satavahanas of Kolhapur
(in Maharashtra) around two thousand years ago.
It eventually passed to the Chalukyas of Badami,
who controlled it between 580 to 750. Over the next
few centuries Goa was successively ruled by the
Silharas, the Kadambas and the Chalukyans of Kalyani,
rulers of Deccan India. It was the Kadambas, a local
Hindu dynasty based at Chandrapura, present day
Chandor - Salcete, that laid an indelible mark on
the course of Goa's pre-colonial history and culture.
In 1312, Goa came under the governance of the
Delhi Sultanate. However, the kingdom's grip on
the region was weak, and by 1370 they were forced
to surrender it to Harihara I of Vijayanagara.
The Vijayanagara monarchs held on to the territory
for the next hundred years until 1469, when it
was appropriated by the Bahmani sultans of Gulbarga.
After the dynasty crumbled, the area came under
the hands of the Adil Shahis of Bijapur who made
Velha Goa their auxiliary capital.
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