Panaji or Panjim, we wondered aloud minutes after deboarding from the bus that had brought us to the capital of Goa from Margao. It was the beginning of August. Rain clouds flecked the horizon. The bus station was empty except for a few bus drivers and hawkers who were prepping for the day. In the next two days over delicious curries and cans of chilled beer, we would learn that Panjim (the final ‘im’ that also appears in names of other Goan towns like Betim, Siolim, Candolim, etc. indicates a nasal ending, so the ‘m’ is never heard) is the older Portuguese name and the official name is Panaji. Locals usually pronounce it as ‘Ponnjee.’

Old Goa was one of the three principal cities in Portuguese Goa and Panjim, on the left bank of the Mandovi estuary, was originally a suburb of Old Goa. The city is laid out in…