Kovalam lighthouse photos and the lighthouse beach of Kovalam. The light house is also known in names like Vizhinjam lighthouse or Vilinjam light house as per in records. Snaps from inside the lighthouse taken during some leisure picnic trips. The lighthouse is an active one and the huge tall structure is open everyday by late afternoons. Painted in red and white bands the tower stands tall in a height of 36m or 118 feet.
The light house is made of stones and have the lantern and a gallery at the top. From the gallery tourists can get an aerial view of the three beaches and the rocky ridges that separate the beaches by stretching out into the sea. Kovalam lighthouse is one of the most visited light houses in India due to the famous fine beaches adjacent to it. The beach near to the lighthouse is named as lighthouse beach.
The tall stone candle for the night sailors in Arabian sea. A bottom top snap of the massive stone tower, the Kovalam light house near the Kovalam beach. The light house is commissioned in the year 1960 and innovations done in 1972 and 2003. At first by the 60s the tower was commissioned as a day mark beacon for the ships. Latter by 1972 it became a lightened beacon with equipment provided by M/s. BBT, Paris.The bulb used was incandescent. By 2003 the incandescent lamp was replaced with metal halide bulb and direct drive mechanism got incorporated.
Technical specs of the light house
- The focal plane of the lantern is about 57 m or 187 feet.
- White flash of light is bursted out every 15 seconds.
- Range of the light beam is about 37 nautical miles.
- Optical equipment is 500 mm 3 panel revolving optic inside 3.65m diameter Lantern house.
- Type of illuminant or bulb used is 400Watt metal halide lamp.
The beach of Kerala named after the light house, The lighthouse beach of Kovalam. One of the finest and most famous tourist spot of southern Kerala. There are three beaches actually which are separated by rock barriers. Two of the beaches are open for tourism and the last one is used by fishermen of the place for their daily business, fishing and running fish markets.
The spiral stairway advancing to the top of the lighthouse. Snapped from inside ground floor of the light house building. Late afternoons visitors are allowed in. What you can get from the top is an aerial view of the beach and surrounding beach township of Kovalam with an assisting cool breeze from the sea, and the waving palm trees around the shore. Photos taken by Nithin Thomas using Sonyericsson K750i
Kovalam beach is in southern kerala and is a part of the south western cost of India, commonly known as the Malabar cost. This is the coastal line where the Europeans landed for the first time in India. the cost consist of coastal regions of Kerala and Karnataka.
Light houses are presently maintained by Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL). Its an agency under the Indian ministry of shipping. DGLL has regional offices along Chennai, Cochin and Mumbai.
How to reach Kovalam?
Wanna reach Kovalam?, Kovalam is about 13 Kms from the capital city of Kerala - Trivandrum. You can take a bus from Thiruvananthapuram to Kovalam.
Kerala's Light houses names and information
- Vizhinjam light house(Kovalam lighthouse or Vilinjam light house) - Information and lighthouse photos above.
- Anjengo light house (Anjuthengu or varkala light house) - Commissioned in 1988. Black and white concreate structure of about 38m or 128 feet. Two white flashes in every 20 seconds. Range of the beam is 19 nautical miles. Lighting equipment is 440 volt powered PRB 42. Illuminant is 30volt 200 watt D type sealed beam lamps.Lantern house diameter is 2.4m. Situated at 40Km northwest of Trivandum.
- Kollam light house (quilon, thangacherry, thankasherry) - Comissioned in 1902. 41m high red and white striped tower which flashes 3 times in every 15 seconds. Range is 20 nautical miles. 400watt metal halide lamp with 700mm revolving 3 panel optic and a lantern house of diameter 3.65m.Tangacherry is 4km from Quilon township.The light house was first erected by the British and placed an oil lamp in it in starting times. The tower was made up of bricks and wooden linings inside. Cracks were found in the tower in 1930s and got jacketed with special bricks made for the purpose.
- Kovilthottam lighthouse (Neendakara) - Black and white banded tower with height of 20m. Flashes light in every 5seconds and have a beam range of 15 nautical miles.Light source is incandascent electric lamp with an optical equipment of 250 mm 4th order cut and polished Drum. Lanthern house with diameter 1.8m.the lighthouse is meant for the use of fishermen boats of Neendakara harbor situated at the entrance point of Ashtamudy backwaters.
- Alleppey lighthouse(Alappuzha) - Light house commissioned in 1862. 28m heigh red and white banded masonry tower which flashes light every 15 seconds. Height above sea level is 33m. The lighthouse flah light has a range of 25 nautical miles. 4 panel 250mm revolving optic and a lantern house diameter of 2m. Illuminant is 150 watt Metal Halide lamp. At the starting time the lighthouse was running on a coconut oil double wick lamp then changed into gas flasher , and the gas flasher inturn got replaced with electric incandescent lamps. Latest renovation is the Metal halide lamp and direct drive system.
- MANAKKODAM lighthouse - Commissioned in 1979. A square RCC steel white coloured tower which stands up at a height of 34m.2 flashes of white light in a 10second inyterval. Range is from 15.1 to 16.6 nautical miles. Illuminant used is Metal Halide lamps. The light house is situated in Alleppy district near Cherthala, 40km from cochin and 8 km from Pattankad beside NH 47.
- Cochin lighthouse(Vypin, kochi) - circular 8 ribbed 46m height red and white banded rcc double shell concreate tower which flashes 4 times every 20 seconds. Lantern house of diameter 2.4m and the light house has double gallery. Stands in 49m height above sea level. Range is 28 nautical miles. Illuminant is a cluster of four 150 watts Metal Halide lamps. Have RACON, Commissioned in 1839. Situated in vypin Islands opposite to cochin township. Reachable by boat and bus.
- Azhicode lighthouse(beside river Periyar)
- Chetwai lighthouse
- Ponnani lighthouse
- Beypore lighthouse (beside river Chaliyar)
- Kozhicode lighthouse(Calicut)
- Kadalur point lighthouse (Sacrifice rock, Thikkoti)
- Talacherry lighthouse (Tellycherry)
- Kannur lighthouse(cannanore)
- Mount Dilli lighthouse(Kotta kunnu)
- Kasargod lighthouse
pixelshots, the kerala blog
Wow, these are amazing. What a great angle on that first shot and thanks for all the info.
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