Mahabalipuram lighthouse

Mahabalipuram lighthouse

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse at night

Light house at Mahabalipuram

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.^[1]

Olakaneeswara Temple

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).^[2]

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]

Notes

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