Mahabalipuram Lighthouse

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Mahabalipuram lighthouse
Mahabalipuram Lighthouse.jpg
The lighthouse in 2015
LocationMahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
India
Coordinates12°36′55″N 80°11′31″E / 12.615241°N 80.191840°E / 12.615241; 80.191840Coordinates: 12°36′55″N 80°11′31″E / 12.615241°N 80.191840°E / 12.615241; 80.191840
Tower
Constructed1887 (first)
Constructionstone tower
Height26 metres (85 ft)
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingsunpainted tower, red lantern dome
Light
First lit1900 (current)
Focal height42 metres (138 ft)
Lens2nd order Fresnel lens
Light sourcemains power
Range30 nmi (56 km; 35 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl W 10s.

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse is located in Tamil Nadu, India.[1] It has been open to tourists since 2011. It was closed in 2001 following a perceived threat from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The first light was commissioned here in 1887. The lighthouse, with a circular masonry tower made of natural stone, became fully functional in 1904. India's oldest lighthouse, built around 640 AD by Pallava king Mahendravarman I stands next to this modern structure. The Pallava era lighthouse is a protected monument, maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.[2]

Olakaneeswara Temple[]

This temple was dedicated to lord Siva. By the end of the eighteenth century or in the beginning of the nineteenth century, the sivalinga was possibly removed by some vandals. A granite roof was constructed atop the temple to keep the light from 1887 to 1900.[3]

Olakaneeswara Temple
The temple and the new lighthouse
Mahabalipuram was a busy port under the Pallavas as early as the 7th century AD. Bonfires were lit on rocks even at that time to aid the mariners. The British first used the temple atop the Mahishasuramardini cave as a light (left). The new lighthouse and the old lighthouse are adjacent to each other (right).[4]

Gallery[]

  • Mahabalipuram Lighthouse at night

  • Light house at Mahabalipuram

See also[]

Now Mahabalipuram lighthouse has its own official website. http://mahabalipuramlighthouse.com

References[]

  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of India: Tamil Nadu and Puducherry". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  2. ^ D, Madhavan. "Mamallapuram light house opens for tourists". The Times of India. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Mahabalipuram Lighthouse" (PDF). Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships. 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  4. ^ dgll Archived 2013-05-19 at the Wayback Machine

http://mahabalipuramlighthouse.com

External links[]


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