PANAJI

also spelled Panjim town, capital of Goa state, western India, on the Mandavi River. It was a tiny village until the mid-18th century, when repeated plagues forced the Portuguese to abandon their capital of Velha Goa (Old Goa, or Ela). Panaji became the capital in 1843. The town contains colonial houses and plazas, and by law all the houses must be whitewashed annually. Chiefly an administrative centre, Panaji in the 1970s also grew in commercial importance, and an industrial estate was developed nearby. Tourism became highly developed. Numerous Portuguese and Maratha ruins can be found in the environs. Pop. (1981) town, 43,165; metropolitan area, 77,226.