Hambantota Lighthouse

Lighthouse

6°07′19.2″N 81°07′37.6″E / 6.122000°N 81.127111°E / 6.122000; 81.127111TowerConstructed1913Constructionconcrete and stoneHeight14 metres (46 ft)Shapecylindrical tower with gallery and lanternMarkingsblack and white tower and lanternLightFocal height15 metres (49 ft)Range13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi)

Hambantota Lighthouse (Sinhala: හම්බන්තොට ප්‍රදීපාගාරය) is an onshore lighthouse, located on a rocky promontory in Hambantota, Sri Lanka.^[1]

The lighthouse is a round masonry tower, 14 m (46 ft) high, with a lantern and a gallery, constructed in 1913. It was designed by William Douglass and built by the Trinity House Engineering Company.^[2] The lighthouse station was established in 1903.^[3]

The stonework, which was used in constructing the lighthouse, is laid in such a way to give an impression of a black and white spiral on the tower. The lighthouse was operational until 1977 but is no longer functional.^[4] In 2012 lighthouses were constructed on the eastern and western breakwaters of the Hambantota port.

The tower was restored in 1999, with the stonework being painted over in black and white. In the past, the lighthouse formed part of an office of the Hambantota Kachcheri, where the Land Registry branch was housed.

The lighthouse was declared an Archaeological Protected Monument by the government on 25 March 2016.^[5]

References

^ Waidyasekera, Raja (14 February 2020). "Hambantota's historic gems". The Daily News. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ "Hambantota Municipal Council Development Plan: 2019 – 2030" (PDF). Urban Development Authority (Hambantota Office). 2019. pp. 45–46.
^ "Hambantota Light house". Ceylonlanka.com. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
^ Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 India & Bay of Bengal Enroute. ProStar Publications. 2005. p. 87. ISBN 9781577856627.
^ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. 1960. 25 March 2016.