A guiding light and centre of attraction on the sands of Marina since 1977

Over the years, the lighthouse in Chennai, on the Marina Beach, has become a treasured landmark. Each day, hundreds of visitors, especially youngsters and students, flock to this iconic structure to take pictures from the viewing gallery on the ninth floor. Those who go to the gallery also get a glimpse of the Marina Beach along the Bay of Bengal, fishermen and their stalls, and the surrounding landscape.

Its significance goes beyond tourism; the lighthouse was also featured in the Tamil film May Maadham, released in 1994, and actor Vijay-starrer Ghilli, which was one of the box office hits in 2004.

The 45.72-metre tall lighthouse started functioning in 1977. “The lighthouse served as an invaluable resource for mariners and local fishermen, providing information on location,” says K. Karthik Chensudar, Director of Lighthouses and Lightships, Chennai. He says this is the fourth light house in the city.

The first in the mess

According to details shared by Mr. Chensudar, the city’s first lighthouse operated from the roof of the Officer’s Mess-cum-Exchange Building (the present Fort Museum) at Fort St. George. With the growth of commercial activities of the East India Company, a lighthouse was constructed at the Fort in 1796. A lantern fuelled by oil and containing large wicks was used in this lighthouse.

During that period, the sea was close to the fort walls, and goods and passengers were transported by boats that landed on the sandy beach. The light has been inactive since 1844.

The second lighthouse was a tall granite Doric column erected in 1841. It is situated on the premises of the Madras High Court to the north of Fort St. George. Work began in 1838 and was completed in 1843 at a cost of ₹75,000.

The lighthouse started functioning on January 1, 1844.

With the construction of the taller High Court building in 1892, mariners found it tough to identify the tower during the day. The tower became inactive in 1894 after the lighthouse was relocated atop the dome of the main tower of the new High Court building.

The lantern from the second tower was relocated to one of the tallest ornate towers of the Madras High Court building, which was constructed adjacent to the second tower in 1892. This Indo-Saracenic building was designed to house the lighthouse equipment. It started functioning on June 1, 1894. This tower became inactive in 1977 after guiding British and Allied warships during both World Wars.

Changes in two decades

The current lighthouse has undergone many changes over the last two decades. Efforts have been made to make the space green and provide lifts and other amenities to attract visitors.

A lighthouse museum was also established to depict the rich culture of lighthouses and maritime history. On an average, 400 people visit the lighthouse each day, Mr. Chensudar says. Around 1.73 lakh people visited this lighthouse during 2022 and 1.59 lakh people in 2023. This year, around 92,000 people visited the lighthouse until August.

Shravan Muthukumar, a college student, says, “It was extremely surreal to watch the beach road pulsate with the traffic. Especially the Gandhi Statue stretch. It was even more breathtaking to see the enormous ships from the harbour turn into beads on the ocean.”

“My most favourite memory of the trip up the lighthouse was definitely finding my house, but I was able to trace it with the MRTS rail and stations, and I would want to spend more time on the top of the lighthouse during my next visit,” he adds.

Published - October 01, 2024 10:42 pm IST