Prong's Lighthouse is an offshore

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

situated at the southernmost point of

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

(present-day Mumbai), India in the

Colaba Colaba (; or ISO 15919, ISO: Kolābā) is a part of the city of Mumbai, India. It is one of the four peninsulas of Mumbai while the other three are Worli, Bandra and Malabar Hill. During the Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was ...

(

Navy Nagar Navy Nagar is a cantonment area in Mumbai, India, and was established in 1796. The area is owned and managed solely by the Indian Navy and entry to this area is highly restricted. Entry and exit points to the area are heavily manned by Naval Pol ...

) area. It marks the entrance to

Mumbai Harbour Mumbai Harbour (also English; Bombay Harbour or Front Bay, Marathi ''Mumba'ī bandar''), is a natural deep-water harbour in the southern portion of the Ulhas River estuary. The narrower, northern part of the estuary is called Thana Creek. Th ...

. The lighthouse is a Grade-I heritage structure.

History

During the 18th century, with an increase in the number of shipwrecks in the Bombay harbour region, a need for a lighthouse was met by modifying an onshore watch tower, built by the Portuguese, into the first lighthouse by British port authorities. This was known as the Colaba Point Lighthouse. The Prong's Lighthouse was built later, in 1875, by

Thomas Ormiston Thomas Ormiston (29 September 1878 – 15 January 1937) was a Scottish Unionist Party Member of Parliament (MP) who represented the Motherwell constituency from 1931 to 1935. References * * External links * 1878 births 1937 de ...

at the cost of Rs. 620,255. The lighthouse had a cannon during the British rule, to secure the bay. Once the Prong's Lighthouse was completed and commissioned, the older Colaba Point Lighthouse was rendered obsolete and it was demolished and no trace of it remains today.

Description

The tapering high circular stone tower has a range and a beam that can be seen at a distance of . The tower is painted in three horizontal bands, red, white, and black respectively. It displays a white light, flashing every ten seconds.

Staffing

The Prong's Lighthouse is one of the few offshore lighthouses in the world that are still staffed. It is maintained by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, that comes under the

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is the Indian ministry responsible for formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws relating to ports, shipping and waterways. The minister is Sarbananda Sonowal. History In ...

. The lighthouse has restricted access as it is in a military area. It is accessible during low tide by foot and during high tide by boat, with special permission from the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

and the Mumbai Port Trust.

Heritage designation

The lighthouse is one of the three lighthouses in the Mumbai Harbour. The other two lighthouses include the Dolphin Lighthouse and the

Sunk Rock Lighthouse Sunk Rock Lighthouse is one of three lighthouses in the Mumbai Harbour off the coast of Mumbai, India. The tower is mounted on a stone pier and painted in a red and yellow checkerboard pattern, with the lantern and gallery painted white. Swimm ...

. The lighthouse (and the mangrove area extended between it and Colaba point) was designated a Grade-I heritage structure by the

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), or the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. Salman Khan Is Now Brand Ambassador of BMC from 2016. The BMC is India ...

(MCGM) basis the recommendations of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee.

References

External links