Ponda, the administrative headquarters of the taluka, is situated 28kms southeast of Panaji and 17kms northeast of Margao.The Panaji-Bangalore national highway NH4 passes through Ponda. Its proximity to some of the state's largest iron ore mines has lead to spring up of small factories and industrial estates on the outskirts of the town. One of the main tourists attraction is the Safa masjid, Goa's best preserved sixteen-century Muslim monument. There are few  hotels as compared to Panaji and Margao, restaurants that do exist cater to vegetarian cuisine you may be lucky to find a place serving non-vegetarian dishes.
The town of Ponda can easily be considered the heart of Hinduism in Goa. For when the Hindus abandoned their coastal settlements and moved inland during the Inquisition, a majority of them settled in Ponda. Ponda is now a transportation hub and some of the best temples in Goa are located here.
When Portuguese arrived in Goa, they destroyed every temples and mosques they could lay their hands on. As a result, temples in Goa are generally set back from the coast and comparatively new, although some date back about 400 years. The temples near Ponda have been rebuilt from originals destroyed by the Portuguese, and their lamp towers are a distinctive Goan feature.