Mahabalipuram lighthouse

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse
Mamallapuram

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse, 2015
Mahabalipuram Lighthouse
Mamallapuram
Tamil Nadu
Location Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
India
Coordinates 12°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
Year first constructed 1887 (first)
Year first lit 1900 (current)
Construction stone tower
Tower shape cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern unpainted tower, red lantern dome
Height 26 metres (85 ft)
Focal height 42 metres (138 ft)
Current lens 2nd order Fresnel lens
Light source mains power
Characteristic Fl W 10s.
Admiralty number F0932
NGA number 27108
ARLHS number IND-016[1]

Mahabalipuram lighthouse is located in Tamil Nadu, India. It is open to tourists since 2011. It was closed in 2001 following perceived LTTE threat. 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 Mahendra Pallava 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 eighteenth century or in the beginning of 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]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of India: Tamil Nadu and Puducherry". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  2. ↑ D, Madhavan. "Mamallapuram light house opens for tourists". The Times of India. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Mahabalipuram Lighthouse" (PDF). http://www.dgll.nic.in/. DGLL. External link in |website= (help)
  4. ↑ dgll
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