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India has had a glorious maritime tradition. From the dawn of civilization and for the past 30 centuries, India has had commercial dealings with foreign countries and has maintained herself as a foremost maritime nation.

Excavations relating to the Indus Valley Civilization in 3000 B.C. have revealed that Lothal in Gujaral was then a flourishing port with excellent dock facilities. When the famous Pharos of Alexandria was built in Egypt by Ptolemy II in the 3rd Century B.C., it is quite likely that Ashoka who was his contemporary was also responsible for building similar lighthouses on India's coastline.

Coming to recent times, in the 8th Century A.D. in the Chola period, a reference is available in the Tamil book "Shilappadhikaram" that a beautiful lighthouse was built on the coast near Kaveripattinam so that ships could easily locate the then port of Pumpuhar.

Although some of India' lighthouses are automated toady, some are still manned by keepers.

The Lighthouse at Mahabalipur

Mahishasuramardhini Cave is an ancient temple containing three shrines with bas reliefs of Lord Vishnu sleeping on the coils of the serpent Adisesha and of the Goddess Durga in the act of destroying the demon Mahishasura. At the top of the huge rock shrine is another ancient temple known as "Olakkaneeswara Temple. While log fires from the high rocks of Mahabalipur used to be used for guiding vessels for several centuries, an actual lighthouse was finally built there in 1887 on top of the ancient "Olakkaneeswar Temple" which functioned there until the end of the 19th century.

The present lighthouse, shown on opposite page, is a circular dressed stone masonry tower, built in 1900 next to its predecessor, which is still standing today. The lighthouse which was electrified in 1994, and the old temple, draw huge crowds everyday from the tourists visiting the area.

The Lighthouse at Madras

The history of the Madras Lighthouse dates back to 1795. In those days the vessels approaching Madras Port from the south were compelled to risk the shoals of Covelong and those approaching from the north had the hidden sand banks to worry about. In 1796, the roof of the Officers Mess in what is now known as Ft. George, was selected as the site for the first warning beacon. It was nothing more that a large lantern.

Finally, between the years of 1838 and 1844 an actual lighthouse tower was erected on the north side of Ft, George. This lighthouse operated until 1894 and although its lantern room was long ago removed the tower still stands.

When the government of India constructed a new High Court building at the site, it was decided that a beacon would be atop the structure and this official lighthouse began operation in 1894.

With the expansion and modernization of Madras Port the need for replacing the lighthouse with a more powerful one was vital to the shipping of the area. A modern triangular tower was constructed and was first lit on January 10, 1977. It is one of the few lighthouses in the world and the only one in India with an elevator.

This story appeared in the July 1997 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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