Kovilthottam Lighthouse

On the Arabian Sea shore at Kovilthottam, in Kollam district, stands this lighthouse, near the mouth of Ashtamudi Lake. It was built to guide boats entering the Neendakara and Chavara backwaters, which matter greatly to the local fishing and cashew industries.

The cylindrical concrete tower is 18 m tall, painted in black and white horizontal bands and capped by a red lantern, with a service room and gallery. The light, once oil-fired and later a solar-powered flasher, is now a 70-watt LED that gives three white flashes every 15 seconds and reaches 15 nautical miles. The national Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships operates and maintains it.