Top 10 Lighthouses in India
India's coastline stretches for more than 7,500 kilometres around the subcontinent, flanked by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Bay of Bengal to the east, and the Indian Ocean at the southern tip. This vast maritime frontier has been marked by lighthouses since the colonial era, when the British administration began constructing stone towers to protect merchant shipping on routes between Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, and the ports of Southeast Asia. Many of those original structures survive, now managed by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Today India operates more than two hundred lighthouses, ranging from modest concrete beacons at river mouths to tall masonry towers perched on dramatic headlands. The ten that follow represent the most historically significant and visually compelling of that fleet. Open the map to find them and hundreds more across the country.
1. Mahabalipuram Lighthouse, Tamil Nadu
The lighthouse at Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram, stands on a rocky outcrop within the UNESCO-listed Shore Temple complex on the Coromandel Coast. The current cylindrical white tower, roughly 27 metres tall, dates from 1887 and replaced an earlier structure that used the natural elevation of the ancient rock-cut temples as a viewing platform. Its light — a white flash every five seconds — covers approximately 17 nautical miles and warns mariners away from the low-lying sandy shore that has claimed ships for centuries. The lighthouse is active and maintained by the Directorate; the surrounding archaeological park, managed by the Archaeological Survey of India, is open to visitors daily, making this one of the most accessible lighthouse sites in the country.
2. Kanyakumari Lighthouse, Tamil Nadu
Perched at the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent, the Kanyakumari Lighthouse occupies a promontory where the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean converge. The present red-and-white striped tower was completed in 1979, standing approximately 37 metres above the headland. Its group-flashing white light, with two flashes every ten seconds, is visible for around 25 nautical miles — essential guidance for vessels rounding the cape on routes between the Persian Gulf and Sri Lanka. An older lighthouse, built in the nineteenth century, stands nearby and has been decommissioned. The active tower is open to visitors on weekend mornings, and the panoramic view of three seas from the lantern gallery is exceptional.
3. Chennai Lighthouse, Tamil Nadu
The Chennai (Madras) High Light stands near Marina Beach, one of the longest urban beaches in the world. The current tower, completed in 1977, rises to about 46 metres and replaced a cast-iron predecessor erected in 1844 on the same site. Its character is a white flash every four seconds with a range of around 20 nautical miles, guiding ships into the busy container port of Chennai. The lighthouse is a working aid to navigation and is also a popular tourist attraction: the lift to the lantern gallery is open on certain days, offering views across the city skyline, the beach, and the Bay of Bengal. The Madras Port Trust's historical records document the earlier lights on this point stretching back to the seventeenth century.
4. Dolphin's Nose Lighthouse, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
The Dolphin's Nose is a natural promontory on the northern side of Visakhapatnam harbour, and the lighthouse perched on its cliff-top tip is one of India's most strategically positioned. The tower stands roughly 29 metres tall against the backdrop of the Eastern Ghats hills that plunge directly into the sea here. Built in 1863 and subsequently modernised, it produces a white flash visible for about 24 nautical miles, marking the harbour entrance for the important naval base and commercial port below. The promontory is partly within a defence restricted area, so access requires permission, though the lighthouse itself and the surrounding viewpoint are accessible during designated visiting hours. The dramatic setting — cliffs dropping sharply to the Bay of Bengal — makes it worth the administrative effort.
5. Alleppey Lighthouse, Kerala
Alleppey (Alappuzha) Lighthouse guards the coast of the Kerala backwaters region, standing at the northern end of a narrow beach spit in the town of Alleppey. The cylindrical white-painted tower is approximately 39 metres tall and was constructed in 1862 by the British administration to mark the hazardous bar at the mouth of the Punnamada backwater system. Its white flash — visible for about 17 nautical miles — protects fishing boats and coasting vessels navigating the shallow bar. The lighthouse is open to the public on most afternoons, and the climb up the internal spiral staircase rewards visitors with views over the coconut-lined canal network below. The surrounding beach is a popular local promenade.
6. Beypore Lighthouse, Kerala
The Beypore Lighthouse stands at the mouth of the Chaliyar River in northern Kerala, near the town of Kozhikode (Calicut). Beypore has been a boat-building centre for centuries — its artisans, known as khalasis, still construct traditional wooden dhows called urus — and the lighthouse has watched over this harbour for well over a century. The present tower is roughly 28 metres tall, its white light flashing at regular intervals to mark the river mouth and the shoals extending into the Lakshadweep Sea. The site is modest by comparison with India's great coastal towers, but the historical atmosphere of the working boat-yard immediately below, combined with the lighthouse's role in a living maritime tradition, makes Beypore a rewarding stop on any Kerala coastal itinerary.
7. Porto Novo Lighthouse, Tamil Nadu
Also called the Parangipettai Lighthouse, the Porto Novo tower stands near the mouth of the Vellar River on the Coromandel Coast, south of Cuddalore. Built in the late nineteenth century under the Madras Port Trust, the white cylindrical tower is about 26 metres tall and marks the entrance to a small but historically active harbour — Porto Novo was a significant trading post during the era of European competition for Indian coastal commerce. The light's character is a white flash at regular intervals, warning mariners away from the shifting sandbars at the river mouth. The lighthouse is an active aid to navigation; the surrounding area includes a marine biological station operated by Annamalai University, and the coastal road here offers access to several small fishing villages.
8. Kannur Lighthouse, Kerala
The Kannur (Cannanore) Lighthouse occupies the end of Payyambalam Beach on the northern Kerala coast, a region historically associated with the Kolathiri Rajas and with the first Portuguese and British colonial incursions. The present tower, roughly 33 metres in height, is a white-painted structure whose group-flashing light is visible for about 17 nautical miles across the Lakshadweep Sea. Kannur district is also home to Fort St. Angelo, built by the Portuguese in 1505, and the lighthouse's position near this fortification emphasises the long history of maritime defence along this coast. The lighthouse grounds are open to visitors during afternoon hours; the beach immediately below is pleasant and often quiet by Kerala tourism standards.
9. Koteshwar Lighthouse, Gujarat
The Koteshwar Lighthouse stands at one of India's westernmost points, near the village of Koteshwar in the Kutch district of Gujarat, close to the international border with Pakistan. The setting is a remote, flat mudflat landscape on the north coast of the Gulf of Kutch, an area heavily affected by the devastating 2001 Bhuj earthquake. The tower, a white cylindrical structure rising about 27 metres, guides fishing vessels and commercial ships through the narrow passage between the Indian mainland and the Rann of Kutch. The temple of Koteshwar Mahadev, a significant Shiva pilgrimage site, stands close by. The combination of spiritual remoteness, borderland geography, and functional lighthouse makes this one of India's more atmospheric maritime sites, though access requires planning given its distance from any large city.
10. Pondicherry Lighthouse, Puducherry
The Pondicherry Lighthouse, known locally as the Puducherry Light, sits in the heart of the former French colonial capital on the eastern coast near the Boulevard seafront. The current tower was built in 1836 and subsequently raised and modernised; it stands approximately 30 metres tall in a red-painted cylindrical form that contrasts with the whitewashed colonial architecture surrounding it. Its white light flashes at regular intervals, guiding vessels into the small harbour used by fishing boats and coasting craft. The lighthouse is one of the most photographically rewarding in India, positioned within easy walking distance of the French Quarter's cafes and tree-lined streets. The lighthouse authority occasionally allows public access; the Boulevard promenade below is a pleasant evening destination year-round.
Planning Your Visit
The best time to visit India's coastal lighthouses is from October to March, when monsoon rains have ended, seas are calmer, and temperatures along the southern and western coasts are more comfortable for travel. The monsoon season, roughly June to September, brings heavy rain and rough seas to Kerala and Tamil Nadu — many lighthouse viewing galleries close during this period. Access varies considerably: some towers, such as Kanyakumari and Chennai, are well set up for visitors with regular opening hours; others, such as Koteshwar, require advance planning and long drives on poor roads. The Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships publishes visiting information on its website. Use Open the map to locate all active and historic lighthouses along India's three coastlines before planning your route.