The tallest lighthouse in Sri Lanka, standing on Dondra Head, the southernmost point of the island.

Overview

Dondra Head Lighthouse rises 49 metres above the rocky southern cape of the island, making it the tallest lighthouse in Sri Lanka and one of the tallest in South Asia. Built of imported granite and brick, its octagonal tower marks the southernmost tip of the country, where the Indian Ocean stretches unbroken toward Antarctica. The palm-fringed grounds and the point itself are a scenic, breezy stop, popular for photographs of the striped tower against the sea.

History

The lighthouse was designed by Sir James Nicholas Douglass and completed in 1889, built to guide shipping around the treacherous southern cape on the busy Indian Ocean routes. It has operated continuously since and remains an active navigational aid managed by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.