Alleppey (Alappuzha)
Lighthouse. Alleppey was a principal port of the erstwhile princely
state of Travancore founded by the visionary Prime
Minister of Travancore, Raja Kesava Das during the rule of Sri Rama Rajah Bahadur. The port was commissioned in the year 1772 and within a
short time, vessels from most Indian and European ports started calling.
A modern lighthouse for Alleppey
port was first proposed in 1840 but the actual work started only
in 1860 with the appointment of Hugh Crawford as Commercial agent toTravancore State and Port
Officer, Alleppey. He designed the tower of the lighthouse in the
shape of the ‘Queen‘ pawn of chess symbolizing the Queen of Arabian Sea. The construction of the present Alleppey Lighthouse tower
was completed in 1862 during the reign of Rama Varma Maharaja.
The then modern flashing light had nine
Catadioptric lenses and nine coconut
oil wick lamps with polished reflectors and a range of 17 nautical miles. The lighting apparatus was
supplied by M/s. J.Milano and Sons, Scotland. This served Alleppey Port for a century. The lights were
electrified using apparatus supplied by M/s B.B.T. France, in 1960.
Mahabalipuram
(Mamallapuram) Lighthouse. Mahabalipuram was the port of the Pallavas who ruled South lndia with their headquarters at Kancheepuram. A lighthouse was erected at Mahabalipuram in 1887 as
a part of the development of Madras port to warn the ships approaching Madras port from south about
the dangers from Tripasore reef in the neighborhood of Mahabalipuram. Construction of the
present lighthouse, a circular 26 meter high granite tower was completed
in the year 1900 and the lighting apparatus was supplied byM/s Chance
Brothers, Birmingham. A second order
for revolving optic and a 55 mm Petroleum Vapour burner
as illuminant so as to send its light beams to a distance of
24 Nautical miles, was commissioned on 31st March, 1901. The light was electrified in 1994 and
subsequently the light source was replaced with metal halide lamp.
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