Miramar Beach

Miramar Beach is a stretch of golden sand about 3 km from Panaji, the state capital, used by residents and visitors alike. Its older name was Gasper Dias Beach. It sits where the Mandovi River enters the Arabian Sea, so it looks out over open water and across to Aguada Fort.

In the 17th century a fort called Forte da Ponte de Gasper Dias was raised here while Dom Francisco de Gama was viceroy; he was the Count of Vidigueira and a great-grandson of Vasco da Gama. Only ruins and a single old cannon survive. The present name comes from Hotel Miramar, a hotel of that period, and is said to derive from 'Miragem de Mar', or mirage of the sea.