Portonovo Lighthouse, Parangipettai

Portonovo Lighthouse stands at Parangipettai, on the north bank where the Vellar river enters the Bay of Bengal, about 30 km from Cuddalore. Portonovo was a port founded in 1590 by Krishnappa Nayaka of Gingee, who invited the Portuguese to trade here. The lighthouse is run by the Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships, and the coast around it was hit by the 2004 tsunami.

The tower is a 39 m concrete cylinder painted in horizontal red and white bands, with a lantern and a double gallery; its light gives a white flash every 15 seconds. It is one of seven lighthouses in India fitted with NAVTEX, a system that sends weather warnings and rescue information to ships in print, reaching about 720 km out to sea and serving fishermen along the Tamil Nadu coast.