Mapusa also spelt at Mapuca, Mhapsa or Mapsa 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 Trivandrum. Under Portuguese rule, the town's name was spelt Mapuçá. Mapusa is close to one of the main centres of Goa's tourism industry, with its proximity to the beaches in north Goa. Mapusa's proximity to many beaches in the north makes it a suitable base during the tourist season (October to January). Because it is a mainly commercial town (for locals) with a large resident population, Mapusa has only a limited number of hotels and accommodation. Mapusa comes alive on Friday, the traditional market day. People from surrounding villages and towns come to Mapusa to sell their wares. This fair has a lot of local flavour (unlike some other tourist-oriented fairs or markets) and specialises in agricultural produce, vegetables, locally-grown fruit, spices, clothes and even plants (mainly during the monsoon planting season).
