Shivaji fort ponda

Ponda formed part of the Novas Conquistas of Portuguese India . It was ruled by the Sonde Rajas under theVijayanagara Empire and the Bijapur Sultanate . In the 16th century, due to the absence of the Portuguese, Ponda was a safe haven for Hindus fleeing persecution byJesuits and the Portuguese. In 1675,Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj seized Ponda from the Bijapur Sultanate. It remained part of the Maratha Empire until 1764. Under Shivaji, Saundekar Raja was the vassal of Ponda.

The forests of Ponda were ideal places for Hindus to form makeshift temples with the idols they had salvaged from the broken temples of Sashti . These makeshift temples were slowly renovated as the Hindus gained prosperity. Now, most of the major Hindu temples in Goa are found in Ponda.

The Portuguese eventually took over the area in 1791 from the Raja of Sonda, along withQuepem , Canacona and Sanguem . It began as an administrative center with the establishment of administrative offices and court, and soon became a commercial center. Most of the area known as Ponda today was a part of Kavale village . The religious zeal of the Portuguese had ebbed by the 18th century, and Portugal itself had seen many political and religious changes due to the prevailing inquisition , so Ponda continued to have a Hindu majority even during Portuguese rule. Ponda was known as Antruz Mahal during Portuguese rule.

Santa estava fort

Sant Estevam or St. Estevam is a beautiful village that lies 21 kms from Panjim and 11 kms from Old Goa. It is also known as Ilha de Jua or Zuvem and is famous being a very scenic estuarine island which is breathtakingly beautiful.

The people in Sant Estevam are very hardworking and fun loving and are known as the Zuvekars. There is a fort situated here on a hillock which was built in September 1668. It was named as the fort of St Francis Xavier and is also known as the fort of Jua.

From the village, the fort of Jua can be approached by means of a fairly formidable flight of rough steps. The climb is well worth the effort and at the top is a modern but impressive shrine to Christ the king. It has a special incident related to it where a sailor used to pray here regularly at the shrine before rejoining his ship as he was deeply attached to Goa and loved to view it regularly from this fort. 

The view from the fort at Sant Estevam is actually scenic looking down towards the iron ore mines and loaded barges moving towards Mormugao. Originally, the fort was believed to serve as an outpost to protect Ilhas from Muslim invasions. 

There is also a church situated in Sant Estevam known as the church of St. Stevens or the Santo Estevam church. It was built in 1759 and was one of the large churches to be built. It is special due to its exterior portion resembling a false dome surrounded by twin towers with lanterns.