Gopalpur Lighthouse

Gopalpur Lighthouse is a coastal lighthouse located near Gopalpur Beach in Gopalpur-on-Sea, Ganjam District, Odisha. Standing close to the Bay of Bengal, it serves as an active navigational aid and a popular viewpoint. The present reinforced concrete tower offers panoramic views of the sea, beach and town. Notable for its maritime heritage linked to the historic Gopalpur Port, it attracts visitors for sightseeing and photography during designated visiting hours.

Visitors can expect a tall white reinforced concrete lighthouse tower situated a short walk from Gopalpur Beach. After climbing a spiral staircase of over 100 steps to the lantern gallery, visitors get 360-degree views of the Bay of Bengal, Gopalpur Beach, the old port area and the town. The surroundings are open and coastal with sea breeze, sandy beach and fishing boats visible. The site is compact, focused on the tower and viewing gallery, with opportunities for sightseeing and photography.

Gopalpur was an important ancient and colonial-era port on the east coast of India. A lighthouse was established to guide vessels navigating the Bay of Bengal along this coastline. The present reinforced concrete lighthouse tower, about 30 metres high, was constructed in the 1980s and commissioned in 1987 under the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, replacing an earlier light, and continues to serve as an active aid to navigation for the Gopalpur Port and coastal shipping.

The lighthouse is a prominent maritime landmark for the fishing community and coastal town of Gopalpur-on-Sea, symbolizing the town's long-standing connection with the sea and port trade, and is a well-known local sightseeing point alongside Gopalpur Beach.