Tangasseri Lighthouse or Thangassery Lighthouse is situated at
Tangasseri
Tangasseri or Thangassery (Thangi) is a heavily populated beach area on the shores of the Arabian Sea in Kollam city, Kerala, India.
Location
Tangasseri is located about from the city centre and from Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. Ar ...
in
Kollam
Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...
city of the Indian state of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. It is one of the two lighthouses in the
Kollam Metropolitan Area
Kollam Metropolitan Area is the 4th largest Metropolis in Kerala and 14th largest List of million-plus urban agglomerations in India, urban agglomeration in South India. It is one of the List of Kerala cities by urban area growth, 10 fastest gr ...
and is maintained by the Cochin Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships. In operation since 1902, the cylindrical lighthouse tower painted with white and red oblique bands has a height of , making it the second tallest lighthouse in Kerala coast. Tangasseri Lighthouse is one of the most visited lighthouses in
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
.
History
Prior to construction of the lighthouse, the
British East India company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
had installed a tower with an oil lamp. In 1902 the present Tangasseri Lighthouse was completed, which by 1930 had suffered cracks in the tower that required jacketing masonry to be installed.
The light source was modified in 1932, 1940, 1962, 1967, 1990 and 1994.
In 2016, the Tangasseri Lighthouse got an elevator facility for its visitors.
Location
The lighthouse is located on the coast at Tangasseri in Kollam city and is one of the locations in India that still maintains
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...
culture. Tangasseri is home to remnants of an ancient
Portuguese built coastal defence, the
St Thomas Fort
Fort Thomas or St. Thomas Fort or Fortaleza de São Tomé, also known as Tangasseri Fort, is a ruined fort located in the beach town of Tangasseri on the shores of the Arabian Sea in the city of Kollam, Kerala, India. It is located around from ...
, a
Portuguese Cemetery, a
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
, the ancient
Port of Quilon
Kollam Port or Port of Quilon is one of the oldest ports (established in AD 825) situated away from Downtown Kollam, Downtown Kollam (formerly Quilon) It is the third largest Ports in Kerala, port in Kerala by volume of cargo handled and facilit ...
and the
Infant Jesus Cathedral.
Visitors are allowed access to the lighthouse between 11 am and 5 pm on all days except on Mondays.
Gallery
Thangassery light house - spiral inside - large.jpg, Upstairs in Tangasseri Lighthouse
Leuchtturm in Kollam.jpg, Tangasseri Lighthouse
Tangasseri Lighthouse, Oct 2016.jpg, Close view of Tangasseri Lighthouse
A distant view of Tangasseri Lighthouse, Oct 2016.jpg, A distant view of Tangasseri Lighthouse from Kollam Port Road
Information board in Thangassery Lighthouse.jpg, Information board in Thangassery Lighthouse
Tangasseri Lighthouse, Mar 2016.jpg, Tangasseri Lighthouse as seen from Tangasseri breakwater
See also
*
List of lighthouses in India
There are many lighthouses along the long coastline of India and in the associated List of islands of India, islands. They are administered by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, Government of India whose headoffice is located ...
References
External links
*
Lighthouses in Kerala
Lighthouses completed in 1902
1902 establishments in British India
Buildings and structures in Kollam
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