Lighthouses of India: Kerala and Karnataka

This page lists lighthouses of the southwestern coast of India in the states of Kerala and Karnataka. This coast is known historically as the Malabar Coast. For many centuries it was visited by Arab and sometimes Chinese traders, and it was the first Indian coast encountered by European explorers. In general, the coastline is low and sandy, but the land rises quickly behind the beaches to the mountains called the Western Ghats. Kozhikode (Calicut), Cochin, Kannur (Cannanore), and Mangalore are some of the better known of its many ports. If you travel to this area, any photos you might take of lighthouses would be very welcome. Lighthouses and aids to navigation in India are administered by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL), an agency of the Ministry of Shipping. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112. General Sources DGLL - Madras District Lighthouses Lighthouse information from the DGLL district office in Chennai (Madras). This office administers the lighthouses of southern Kerala, from Vizhinjam through Alleppey. DGLL - Cochin District Lighthouses Lighthouse information from the DGLL district office in Cochin. This office administers the lighthouses of central and northern Kerala, from Manakkodam through Kasaragod, plus the lighthouses of Lakshadweep. DGLL - Mumbai District Lighthouses Lighthouse information from the DGLL district office in Mumbai. This office administers the lighthouses of Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra. Lighthouses of Kerala Photos by John Alex. Leuchttürme Asiens auf historischen Postkarten Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.

Alleppey Light, December 2008 Creative Commons photo by Rakesh Barua

Lighthouses of Kerala

South Kerala Lighthouses

*** Vizhinjam (Vilinjam, Kovalam) 1972. Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); white flash every 15 s. 36 m (118 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands; lantern dome painted red. K.K. Seema's photo is at right, Deep Goswami has a closeup, a 2009 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Foundations of a 9th century fort were discovered near the lighthouse in late 2005. Lighthouse Beach, stretching to the north toward Kovalam, is a popular tourist attraction, and as a result this lighthouse is one of the most visited lighthouses of India. Located on a rocky promontory about 10 km (6 mi) northwest of Vizhinjam and 13 km (8 mi) south of Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum), the capital of Kerala. Site open, tower open in late afternoon daily. ARLHS IND-121; Admiralty F0718; NGA 27492. *** Anjengo (Anjuthengu, Varkala) 1987. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 36 m (118 ft) round concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. A blogger has a slide show of photos, a 2009 distant view is available, and the lighthouse is centered in a Google satellite view. Anjengo (Anjuthengu) is the site of a British East India Company fort dating to 1684. Located bisde the coastal road about 5 km (3 mi) northwest of Anjengo and about 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Thiruvananthapuram. Site open, tower open in late afternoon daily. ARLHS IND-073; Admiralty F0715; NGA 27502.

Kovalam Light, June 2006 Creative Commons photo by K.K. Seema

*** Kollam (Quilan, Thankasseri, Tangasseri)

1902. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 44 m (144 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and double gallery, painted with red and white spiral bands; 2nd order Fresnel lens. A closeup photo is available, Sasheer Raj has a 2008 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Thankasseri (or Tangasseri), on the north side of the city of Kollam, was an early outpost of the Portuguese, later taken by the Dutch and then by the British. The lighthouse, a beautiful relic of the British Empire, stands on a point of land near the ruins of Portuguese and Dutch forts. Site open, tower reported open in late afternoon daily. ARLHS IND-019; Admiralty F0712; NGA 27504.

*** Kovilthottam (2) 1962 (station established 1953). Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) square masonry tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands; lantern dome painted red. D.M. Brennan has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Kovilthottam is a small port near Chavara, about 15 km (9 mi) north of Kollam. Accessible by road. Site open, tower open in late afternoon daily. ARLHS IND-096; Admiralty F0710; NGA 27512. *** Alleppey (Alappuzha) 1862. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); white flash every 15 s. 28 m (92 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Rakesh Barua's photo is above, John Alex also has a good photo, a good 2007 photo and another photo are available, and Google has a satellite view. This historic lighthouse has a rare teak spiral stairway. It was painted all white for many years; the red bands were added in 2000. Located just of the beach in Alleppey (now usually called Alappuzha). Site open, tower open in late afternoon daily. ARLHS IND-081; Admiralty F0706; NGA 27516. * Manakkodam (Manaccur) 1979. Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 34 m (112 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower, lower half skeletal and upper half enclosed, with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white; lantern roof painted red. John Alex has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse originally had red bands, but fishermen complained it could be confused with the Cochin Light, so the color patterns of the Alleppey Light and this tower were exchanged in 2000. The lighthouse marks the entrance of a new harbor created by cutting an inlet through a barrier beach to a backwater lagoon. Located inside the inlet, about 12 km (7.5 mi) northwest of Shertalai. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-099; Admiralty F0705; NGA 27520. Central Kerala Lighthouses * Cochin (Kochi, Vypin) (4) 1979 (station established 1839). Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 46 m (151 ft) 8-ribbed, double-shell concrete tower with lantern and double gallery. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. John Alex's photo appears at right, Sasheer Raj has a 2008 photo, Prashobh Balakrishnan has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. The British built the port of Cochin in the 1830s. The original lighthouse was replaced in 1920, and then in 1936 the light was moved to a 25 m (82 ft) steel skeletal tower. All these lights proved inadequate as landfall lights for the port, leading to the construction of the present lighthouse. Located on Vypin Island north of the harbor entrance; the island is accessible by ferry. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-083; Admiralty F0698; NGA 27528. * Azhikode (Periyar River) 1982. Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 30 m (98 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower, lower half skeletal and upper half enclosed, with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands; lantern roof painted red. The lighthouse replaced a small light at the mouth of the Periyar River. Located 8 km (5 mi) west of Kodungallur and 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the river entrance. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-075; Admiralty F0694.5; NGA 27560.

Cochin Light, 2009 photo copyright John Alex; used by permission

* Chetwai 1986. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 30 m (98 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and double gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. John Alex has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse has a design common to many modern Indian light towers. Located just off the beach south of Chavakkad. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-082; Admiralty F0693; NGA 27564. * Ponnani (3) 1983 (station established 1937). Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); white flash every 15 s. 30 m (98 ft) 12-sided concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. A good photo and a distant 2009 view are available, and Google has a satellite view. The original light, on a mast, was replaced by a skeletal tower in 1948. Located on the outskirts of Ponnani, just south of the Bharathpuzha river entrance. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-108; Admiralty F0692; NGA 27632. North Kerala Lighthouses * Beypore (Chaliyar River) 1977. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 30 m (98 ft) hexagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. A photo and a view from the river are available, John Alex has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located behind the beach and south of the Chaliyar River entrance at Chaliyam, 5 km (3 mi) south of Beypore and about 15 km (9 mi) south of Kozhikode (Calicut). Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-076; Admiralty F0689; NGA 27636. * Kozhikode (Calicut) 1907 (station established 1847). Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. John Alex's photo is at right, and Sasheer Raj also has a 2008 photo. Calicut, now called Kozhikode, is the place where Vasco da Gama landed in India in 1498, inaugurating India's contact with western Europe. Interestingly, the original lighthouse was taller at 33 m (108 ft). Located near the waterfront in Kozhikode. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-097; Admiralty F0686; NGA 27640.

Calicut Light, September 2008 photo copyright John Alex; used by permission

* Kadalur Point (Thikkoti, Sacrifice Rock)

1909. Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); white flash every 5 s. 35 m (115 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with one black horizontal band; lantern dome painted red. A 2008 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse marks dangerous offshore shoals and a rocky reef called Velliyamkallu or Sacrifice Rock. The 100th anniversary of the lighthouse was celebrated in 2009. Located on a low promontory 6 km (3.8 mi) northwest of Quilandi near the village of Thikkoti. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-013; Admiralty F0682; NGA 27652.

* Tellicherry (Thalassery) Date unknown (station established 1835). Inactive as of 2009; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); three white flashes every 9 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern dome painted red. A March 2009 Notices to Mariners reports this light to be "temporarily extinguished," and an April 2009 photo shows the lighthouse abandoned and in poor condition. Eric Lord has an excellent 2007 photo, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse stands within a fort built in 1708 by the British East India Company. Lights were shown from the fort beginning in 1835, but it's not clear when this lighthouse was built. Ken Trethewey lists Tellicherry as having a lighthouse in 1835, but Findlay's 1879 list mentions only a light shown from the fort's flagpole. Located in Thalassery, as Tellicherry is now called. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-116; Admiralty F0674; NGA 27664. * Cannanore (Kannur) (3) 1976 (station established 1903). Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white flash every 10 s. 23 m (75 ft) round concrete tower with gallery and a small lantern, painted red with one white horizontal band. Sanand Karunakaran's photo is at right, Mohamed Salim has a good closeup photo, Sasheer Raj has a December 2007 photo, and Google has a satellite view. The first Cannanore lighthouses were at Fort St. Angelo, an early 16th century Portuguese fort. Lanterns were shown from the fort walls as early as 1843. A permanent light was mounted on a pedestal on the walls of the fort in 1903 and moved to a steel mast in 1939. The modern lighthouse is not at the fort, however. Located on a rocky promontory about 2 km (1.25 mi) northwest of Kannur harbor. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-079; Admiralty F0672; NGA 27668. Mount Dilli (Kotte Kunnu) 1979. Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 17 m (56 ft) triangular cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and double gallery, painted white red and white horizontal bands. Google has a distant satellite view. The lighthouse is built on a very prominent headland called Kotte Kunnu or Mount Dilli. It's surprising there was no lighthouse built earlier at this location, where the British lighthouse engineer Alan Stevenson had recommended one in 1926. The lighthouse was formerly a tourist attraction, but the area has been acquired by the federal government for construction of a naval academy and is now closed. Located on the headland on the west side of the harbor of Azhikal. Site and tower closed. ARLHS IND-102; Admiralty F0679.5; NGA 27676. * Kasaragod 1984. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 30 m (98 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Raveesh Kumar has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located just behind the beach at Kasaragod, the northernmost city of Kerala. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-090; Admiralty F0668.5; NGA 27680.

Kannur Light, October 2006 Creative Commons photo by Sanand Karunakaran

Lighthouses of Karnataka

Mangalore Area Lighthouses

* Mangalore 1870. Inactive. 15 m (49 ft) masonry tower with a square lantern structure, mounted on a square base. Godwin Castelino has a photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. We need more information on the history of this interesting tower. It is said to have been built in the 18th century, and some say by Sultan Haidar Ali; if so, it dates from around 1780. Findlay's 1879 light list gives 1870 as the establishment of a modern light. There exist historic images from around 1900 that show a conventional lantern room atop the tower. (No such images seem to be online presently.) Located atop Light House Hill above the business district of Mangalore, the principal port of Karnataka. Site open, tower closed. Mangalore Harbour 1903 (station established 1843). Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 3 s. 11 m (36 ft) round masonry tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. A distant view probably shows the lighthouse. Located on the south side of the harbor entrance at Mangalore. Site status unknown. ARLHS IND-100; Admiralty F0668; NGA 27684. New Mangalore Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); quick-flashing white light. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical white concrete tower. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located midway on the north breakwater of Mangalore's modern harbor, about 7 km (4.5 mi) north of the traditional harbor. Site and tower closed. Admiralty F0666; NGA 27688. * Suratkal (Suratkal Point) 1972. Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); white flash every 10 s. 36 m (118 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. 2-story keeper's house adjacent or attached to the lighthouse. A photo is at right, another good photo is available, P. Bachodi has a distant photo, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse functions as the landfall light for Mangalore; it stands by a very popular beach. Located off the beach about 8 km (5 mi) north of Suratkal and 18 km (11 mi) north of Mangalore. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-114; Admiralty F0660; NGA 27700.

Suratkal Light, April 2008 Creative Commons photo by abhisawa

Northern Karnataka Lighthouses

** Kaup (Kap, Udipi) 1901. Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 27 m (89 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands; lantern dome painted red. A photo is at right, a sunset photo shows Kaup Beach with the lighthouse in the distance, Vikas Moodbidri has a closeup, Anita Bora has a second closeup, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. This is easily the best known lighthouse of Karnataka. Located on a low but rocky promontory interrupting a lengthy beach about 16 km (10 mi) south of Udupi. Site open, tower open but we do not know the schedule. ARLHS IND-091; Admiralty F0658; NGA 27704. Malpe (Lighthouse Island) (2) Date unknown (station established 1900). Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square cylindical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Two 1-story keeper's houses. No closeup photo available, but there's a distant view from the mainland and Google has a satellite view. There is also a very distant view of the island in which the tower can just be seen. The original lighthouse had a focal plane height of 19.5 m (64 ft). Located atop an island southwest of the entrance to the harbor of Malpe. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IND-098; Admiralty F0655; NGA 27708. ** Bhatkal (3) 1959 (station established 1891). Active; focal plane 56 m (184 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 14 m (46 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. DGLL's photo shows the lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands, but Suruchi Dumpawar's October 2007 photo shows it all white. Samaan Barmavar has a fine 2009 photo, another photo shows visitors on the gallery, and Google has a satellite view. The original stone post light was replaced by a masonry tower in 1936. Located on a promontory on the west side of the entrance to the Bhatkal River at Bhatkal. Site open, tower open but we do not know the schedule. ARLHS IND-077; Admiralty F0648; NGA 27724. * Honavar (Honnavar) (2) 2009 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 15 s. 24 m (79 ft) octagonal tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available. This new lighthouse replaced a light on a mast. Located on a hill above the Sharavathi estuary, which forms the harbor of Honavar, near the north end of the bridge over the estuary. Site probably open, tower closed. Admiralty F0644; NGA 27732. * [Kumta Point (Cumta) (3?)] Date unknown (station established 1855). Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 3.5 m (10 ft) lantern, described by NGA as a "round white hut." No photo available, but the light is probably centered in a Google satellite view. The original light was on a 20 m (66 ft) tower about 800 m (1/2 mi) east southeast. This was replaced in 1888 by an "iron tubular mast" (the present light?) at the present location. It is possible that the original tower survives and is seen in another Google satellite view. Clearly, we need more information about this station. Located atop a bluff at Kumta, about 20 km (12.5 mi) north of Honnavar. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F0642; NGA 27740.

Kaup Light, December 2007 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Tadri (2)

Date unknown (station established 1891). Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) square cylindrical stone tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The original light was on a mast. Located atop a promontory on the northwest side of the entrance to the harbor of Tadri. Site status unknown, although the light appears to be accessible by a dirt road. Admiralty F0638; NGA 27744.

Oyster Rocks

1864. Active; focal plane 63 m (207 ft); white flash every 10 s. 19 m (62 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted red with one white horizontal band; lantern painted white with a red dome. 2nd order Fresnel lens. A 2007 closeup is available, Kaushik Saikia has a distant view at dusk, and Google has a satellite view. The Oyster Rocks are the westernmost of several reefs and islets protecting the harbor of Karwar, which has the only naturally protected anchorage between Bombay and Cochin. The Indian Navy has a major base at Karwar. Located about 8 km (5 mi) west southwest of the Karwar waterfront. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS IND-105; Admiralty F0634; NGA 27756.

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Posted January 30, 2006. Checked and revised November 9, 2009. Lighthouses: 27. Site copyright 2009 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.