Guirim is a

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

North Goa district North Goa district is one of the two districts that constitutes the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of , and is bounded by Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra state to the north and by Belgavi district of Karnata ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Goa. For administrative purposes, however, it is considered to be a village, and has a village ''panchayat'', which is the local administration of a village in parts of India. Guirim is located on the outskirts of the

North Goa North Goa district is one of the two districts that constitutes the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of , and is bounded by Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra state to the north and by Belgavi district of Karnataka ...

main commercial town of

Mapusa Mapusa (म्हापशें) is a town in North Goa, India. It is situated 13 km north of the capital Panaji. The town is the headquarters of Bardez Taluka. It is located on the main highway NH-17, linking Mumbai to Kochi. In Portugu ...

(also spelt as Mapsa or Mapuca). It is the last village along the

Panjim Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary ...

- Mapuca highway that one encounters prior to reaching Mapuca.

Area and population

Guirim has an area of 4.03 square kilometres, and a total of 1,178 households. Its population totals 5.036 (according to the 2011 official Census) which comprises 2,502 males and 2,534 females. Its under-six population in 2011 was a total of 493 children, comprising 258 boys and 235 girls.

About the village

The village is also known as ''Girvoddea'' in the local Konkani language. Gurim has been home to the prominent St. Anthony's High School, run by the Goa Capuchin Friars and is located on a hillock that overlooks the agrarian village whose geography is dominated by paddy fields. The village cemetery has, prominently written on its entrance, the text in Konkani which is meant to be a reminder of our own limited nature, ''Aiz Mhaka, Falea Tuka'', which means, "Today's it's my turn. Tomorrow your's."

School

St Anthony's at Guirum, the prominent local school, is run in the English-medium. It was earlier a boys-only school though now is a mixed school catering to both boys and girls. The school was conceived by the

Capuchins Capuchin can refer to: *Order of Friars Minor Capuchin The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from t ...

in 1936 and became a reality in 1941. This

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

religious order was planning to build their residence at Peddem, on the other side of

, when Fr. Hippolito da Luna (1909-1942), director of the Collegio de Santo Antonio boarding school offered to hand over to them the school, boarding, Chapel and adjoining property on the hill to the Capuchins. The Capuchins took over the school in May 1942. It was set up with the aim of offering the youth of Goa sound and quality and all-round education through literary, moral, religious, emotional and physical education. This school is open to all. Its motto in Latin is ''Ad Ardua'' (towards higher, greater achievements). Every year 45 students get scholarships and 90 freeships are given for hardworking students. This has been one of the prominent schools in Bardez, with a particularly strong reputation for its prowess in sports, particularly football and hockey around the second half of the 20th century.

Geography

Guirim is located at . It has an average elevation of 7 metres (23 feet).

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

, Guirim had a population of 6371. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Guirim has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 75%, and female literacy is 65%. In Guirim, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Recent developments

During the heavy monsoons of June 2020, some fields of Guirim were reported flooded. A flyover on the road highway cutting through Guirim was inaugurated in July 2020. Citizens, green campaigners, youth and local farmers sought to resuscitate coconut trees near the Guirim underpass in 2020. In February 2020, an issue broke out over the illegal mud-filling of Guirim lands and fields.

Gallery

File:St Antonio Chapel, Guirim.jpg, St Antonio Chapel File:Village Panchayat Guirim,Goa.jpg, Village Panchayat File:Guirim Cross, Goa.jpg, Guirim Cross File:Guirim-Sangolda cemetery 2019.jpg, Village cemetery

References

{{Reflist Cities and towns in North Goa district