Calangute

Calangute
town
Country	India
State	Goa
District	North Goa
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2001)
• Total	15,776
Languages
• Official	Konkani
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	403516
Telephone code	00 91 (0) 8322 27
Vehicle registration	GA-01
It's Better in Calangute!

Calangute ([kɔɭoŋɡuʈ]) is a census town with a permanent population of approximately 16,000 (2001) in North Goa, in the state of Goa, India. It is famous for its beach, the largest in north Goa, visited by thousands of domestic and international tourists alike. The peak tourist season is during Christmas and New Year, and during the summer in May. During the monsoon season, from June through September, the sea can be rough and swimming is prohibited. The beach offers water sport activities like parasailing and water skiing, among others.

Etymology

The village was originally named Kolongutt, though with the invasion of the Portuguese, the word probably got distorted to Calangute, and has stuck until today. The name Cal is probably connected with the Hindu Goddess Kali, worshipped by the fisher folk. There was a temple in the area of Motth. Another possibility is that it comes from Kalyan-Gutti, which means a village of art, a beautiful village. this is quite a plausible derivation. A third possibility is from konvallo-ghott, meaning a coconut with a strong pith, since coconut trees are believed to possess strong pith as the "marrow" or soft substance in the center of the plant.

Divisions

Calangute is divided by a ward (vaddo) system which breaks it up into:

• Gauravaddo (east & west) ward of the "Gaudds", or more probably of "gauri" (milk diary)
• Agarwaddo ward of salt pans ("agor")
• Tivaivaddo A ward near the seashore
• Naikavaddo ward that used to be resided by Naik community
• Maddovaddo ward full of coconut trees ("madd")
• Porbavaddo ward that used to be resided by porob community ("prabhu")
• Dongorpur & Boa-Viagem city of hill, because it lies on the hill
• Umtavaddo according to tradition, the people from Carambolim came to Calangute on camels, during an epidemic there, they were Prabhus
• Chobravaddo probably there was more "khobrem" there (copra=coconut) dried for extracting oil
• Sauntavaddo the ward where the Saunte (Savant) resided
• Baga derived from the goddess Bhagvati, since there was a temple in her honour, which gave the name to the river and the ward, also called Vaddol, because of the muddy conditions there (usually considered a part of Calangute)

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Calangute had a population of 15,776. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Calangute has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 78% and female literacy of 67%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Notable residents

• Bruno Coutinho - Captained the Indian football team. In his playing days, he was considered the Sachin Tendulkar of Indian football; as the team played better with him around; and, in his absence, the rest of the team appeared to go into their shell.
• The Beatles used to come to Calangute in the late sixties to rest and enjoy beach life.

• Goa beach sights
• 
  Calangute beach.
• 
  Parasailing at Calangute beach in December 2006.
• 
  Boats on the Calangute beach.
• 
  Parasailing on the Calangute beach.
• 
  The tinto (market) at Calangute.

External links

• video of Lornas famous Konkanni song Calangute on YouTube

• Calangute travel guide from Wikivoyage