Mamallapuram Lighthouse

Mamallapuram Lighthouse is a historic coastal lighthouse located on a rocky hillock in Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu. Built of natural stone in 1900 and first lit in 1904, it stands about 26 metres tall near the 8th-century Olakkannesvara Temple, which earlier served as a navigational beacon. The lighthouse offers panoramic views of the Bay of Bengal, Shore Temple and Pallava monuments, and lies within the Mamallapuram UNESCO World Heritage area.

Visitors can climb a circular masonry tower via a steep internal staircase to an enclosed viewing gallery at the top. From the gallery there are 360-degree views of the Bay of Bengal, Mamallapuram town, Shore Temple, and surrounding Pallava rock-cut monuments and coastline. The lighthouse stands on a boulder-strewn hillock next to the Olakkannesvara Temple (old lighthouse). The site is compact, with a ticket counter at the base and open rocky surroundings.