19th Century Light House in Pondicherry

One of the most frequented tourist spots in the city, the 19th Century Light House in Pondicherry stands pretty on the Red Hills in Gorimedu. Located at a distance of five Kilometers from the western border of the city, the 19th Century Light House in Pondicherry is among the prime Pondicherry Attractions.

The inception of the 19th Century Light House in Pondicherry has an interesting story attached to it. There was a time when it was very difficult to navigate the ships to Pondicherry at night. Apart from an arrangement of fire atop the Red Hills, there was practically no signal to guide the ships towards Pondicherry. Even that fire was not enough as it was hardly visible from great distance. The shipping community formed a committee and requested the government to solve this problem. Saint Simon - the Governor of the city during the time, decided to build a lighthouse in 1835.

Although the nineteenth century lighthouse was completed by February 1836 it started serving the real purpose from the month of July that year. The delay was due to the late arrival of the beacon from France. The lighthouse is almost thirty Meters tall and can be seen from a distance of at least fifteen Miles. The lighthouse witnessed another development in 1931 when a revolving lantern was installed in place of the fixed one.

The Nineteenth Century Light House is a classic example of the glorious French architecture. It has emerged as one of the important landmarks of the area.