Etymology
The village was originally named Kolongutt, though with the invasion of the Portuguese, the word probably got distorted to Calangute, and has stuck until today. The name Cal is probably connected with the Hindu Goddess Kali, worshipped by the fisher folk. There was a temple in the area of Motth. Another possibility is that it comes from Kalyan-Gutti, which means a village of art, a beautiful village. this is quite a plausible derivation. A third possibility is from konvallo-ghott, meaning a coconut with a strong pith, since coconut trees are believed to possess strong pith as the "marrow" or soft substance in the center of the plant.
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