Around 150 years ago, Alappuzha was an international destination for merchants from England, Holland, Portugal and other European countries. They came to buy pepper, cardamom, and other spices and goods. It was taken by numerous ships through the Alappuzha port owned by the erstwhile Travancore kingdom. Trade was brisk and plentiful.
The lighthouse, which stood on the beach of Alappuzha, was the main pathfinder for the ships. Visionary leaders of Travancore constructed the lighthouse, using the engineering technology of the west. After the port declined in importance, the lighthouse remains the main pathfinder for ships which are travelling through the Arabian sea.
The foundation stone was laid on April 26, 1860, by Mough Crawford, wife of the then Port Officer Haug Craword. In 1860s, Travancore was ruled by Marthanda Varama Maharaja. The lighthouse was completed during the period of his successor Rama Varma Maharaja in 1862. Before the lighthouse was constructed, only a light provided on the pier head served the mariners.
The structure was constructed using the locally available laterite stones and has a teak spiral staircase. Initially, there was a coconut wick lamp with a metal reflector. Later, a flashing light was fixed by Crawford. He procured a flash lamp from Chance Brothers, Birmingham. There were nine Cata-dioptric lenses and nine coconut oil wick lamps with polished reflectors. It was capable of sending three powerful light beams to a distance of 17 nautical miles. That flash lamp was used for more than 90 years. An acetylene gas flasher light was fixed in the lighthouse in 1952. In 1960 a modern electric light, with a 1,000 watt incandescent lamp and new Cata-dioptrict lenses was installed. In 1999 the incandescent lamp was replaced by 230V 150W metal halide lamp.
Earlier, the tower was painted in white and in 2000 it was changed into red and white to get a long view of the lighthouse. The tower has a height of 28m in a circular masonry. The passengers of the ships passing through the Arabian sea at a distance of about 25 nautical miles can see the flashlight from the light house.
Lighthouse keeper (or Navigational Assistant) K G Binod said, “There are numerous visitors every day.” Navigational Assistant M Sreejesh Kumar added, “It was renovated recently, and [Union Minister of State for Shipping] Milind Deora rededicated the light house. A museum on the history of the light houses in India was inaugurated by the minister.”
