Amona is a census town in North Goa district in the state of

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is believed that Amona was an ancient centre for trade and commerce with a lot of cultivated fertile land and alluvial banks of the Mhadaee, now

Mandovi River The Mahadayi/Mandovi River (''Mandovi'', pronounced ), also known as Mahadayi or Mhadei river, is described as the lifeline of the Indian state of Goa. The Mandovi and the Zuari are the two primary rivers in the state of Goa. Mandovi joins wi ...

. The surrounding land holds many cashew plantations and has a Sesa Goa pig iron plant. The rich soil and centralized location in Gomantak with water networks for inland transport allowed

Aryans Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ...

to settle on the land. Remains of ancient

fortresses A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

and settlements submerged in the soil around the ferry wharf region have been reported in Amona by the archeology department of Goa. The earliest settlers of this region were primarily the Aryan warriors, administrators; and traders. These warriors in medieval times were a part of the

Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...

clans. Ancient armour and swords are present in the Amona

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

and they reveal an ancient military culture. Scriptures have been found which depict Amona as a capital of ancient dynasties. connectivity (ferry service was used before the bridge was built). There are many colourful festivals held here with ''natakaas'' and ''gadgado''. The Government of Goa launched a project consisting of a road and a bridge connecting the cities of Khandola and Amona across the river Mandovi which is situated 20 km away from Panjim. The area gets often flooded during high tides and the design of the bridge and the road was made accordingly. The bridge is 510 meters in length and is made of a structural steel truss with reinforced cement concrete slab. This bridge has helped to reduce the distance from Sankhali to Panjim to 28 km. It also serves as a tourist spot for people outside Goa.

References

Villages in North Goa district {{goa-geo-stub