Lighthouses of India: Southeastern Gujarat and Daman

The Republic of India (Bhārat in Hindi) is the seventh largest country and second most populous country in the world. It occupies a subcontinent of Asia that projects southward into the North Indian Ocean, separating the Bay of Bengal on the east from the Arabian Sea on the west. Before 1947 it was a patchwork of regions governed as British colonies and semi-independent princely states under British supervision. In 1947 this British Raj was partitioned into the independent states of India and Pakistan. Several French and Portuguese colonies embedded in the territory of India were absorbed in 1950 and 1961, respectively.

India is a federal union of 28 states and 8 union territories. The westernmost state, Gujarat, has the longest coastline of any of the states and the largest number of lighthouses. The broad Kathiawar Peninsula, in the center of the state's coastline, separates two major inlets of the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Khambhat on the southeast and the Gulf of Kutch on the northwest. This page lists lighthouses of the southeastern part of Gujarat, surrounding the Gulf of Khambhat, including the Daman District of the tiny embedded union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The political history of this region is quite complex. In the British Empire of India the majority of the modern territory of Gujarat was divided into numerous principalities that had control over local economic affairs. Several of these Indian states built lighthouses, including several that survive. After India became independent in 1947 the state of Saurashtra included the area of the Kathiawar Peninsula, the state of Kutch included the area north of the Gulf of Kutch, and the area east of the Gulf of Khambhat was part of Bombay State. In 1956 Saurashtra and Kutch were merged into Bombay State, and then in 1960 the northern portion of Bombay State was split off to form Gujarat.

Gujarat is divided into 33 districts and the districts are divided into county-level units called talukas.

Hindi and English are official languages in India, with English serving as a lingua franca for the entire nation. The Indian Constitution recognizes another 21 languages, called scheduled languages, and each of the coastal states has its own scheduled language in official use. In Gujarati, the official language of Gujarat, the word for a lighthouse is dīvādāṇḍī (દીવાદાંડી); tāpu is an island, nadī is a river, and bandara is a harbor.

Lighthouse administration has been under federal control since 1947. Lighthouses and aids to navigation in India are administered by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL), an agency of the Ministry of Shipping. Lighthouses on the east coast of the Gulf of Khambhat are maintained by the Mumbai Directorate of DGLL and those on the west coast are maintained by the Jamnagar Directorate.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Aids to navigation: Mumbai Region and Jamnagar Region
Lighthouse information from DGLL, including photos for most of the lighthouses.
Lighthouses in India
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - India
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - India - Arabian Sea
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Indian Lighthouses
Historic postcard images posted by Michel Forand.


Umergam Light, Umbergaon, June 2019
Google Maps photo by Křunal Khalasi

Mumbai Lighthouse Directorate Lighthouses

Eastern Gujarat surrounds a large estuary, the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay). The gulf is about 200 km (120 mi) long, 70 km (43 mi) wide near its mouth in the south but narrowing to about 20 km (12 mi) wide in the north. The Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and Bharuch Districts are on the east side of the gulf, an industrial zone not much visited by tourists north of Daman. Port facilities are developing quickly in this area to serve New Delhi and the other major cities of northern India.

Southern Valsad District Lighthouse
*** Umergam (Umergaon, Umbergaon)
1979. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white flash every 15 s. 30 m (98 ft) triangular cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and double gallery, painted with horizontal red and white bands. Křunal Khalasi's photo is at the top of this page, Vikas Mhaskar has a 2021 photo, Chandni Rajendran has a view from atop the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. Umergam Beach is a popular resort, and the lighthouse is an attraction. Located off the beach at Umbergaon. Site open, tower open daily. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-118; Admiralty F0489; NGA 28092.
* Maroli
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); white flash every 1.5 s. 11 m (36 ft) square skeletal tower. Google has a street view and a satellite view, but the lighthouse looks abandoned in the street view. Located at the edge of the beach in Maroli, a town about 11 km (7 mi) north of Umbergaon. Site open, tiwer closed. Admiralty F0488; NGA 28096.

Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu: Daman District Lighthouses
Formerly called Damão as a part of Portuguese India, Daman is now part of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Daman is a small district surrounded by the state of Gujarat just north of the Maharashtra border. It was ceded to Portugal by the Sultan of Gujarat in 1539 and remained a Portuguese colony until it was occupied by Indian forces in 1961. The population of the district is above 200,000.

*
Daman (1) (Damão, Rio Sandalcalo)
1884 (Portuguese). Inactive since 1999. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) round masonry tower with gallery and a small light on a post. Lighthouse painted white. Long in deteriorating condition, the historic lighthouse was recently restored and repainted, as seen in JSnehal Hemant Jadhav's 2022 photo at right. Wikimedia has a closeup, Monica Reis has a photo, Vishvesh Chauhan has a photo also showing the new lighthouse, Divyeshkumar Shukla has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. The Daman lighthouses are associated with a 16th century Portuguese fort, Forte Moti Daman, one of the best known tourist attractions of the territory. Located just inside the outer wall of the fort, on the south side of the entrance to the Daman Ganga River. . ARLHS IND-129.

Instagram photo by Snehal Hemant Jadhav
*** Daman (Daman Ganga) (2)
1999. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white flash every 10 s. 31 m (102 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and double gallery, painted with horizontal black and white bands. Jwalant Patel's photo of the two lighthouses is at the top of this page, Premshree Pillai has a good closeup, a 2021 photo and a 2007 photo are available, Wikimedia has a distant view, Divyeshkumar Shukla has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located just outside the walls of the Moti Daman fort on the south side of the entrance to the Daman Ganga River. Site open, tower open daily. Operator: Daman Port Department. ARLHS IND-128; Admiralty F0484; NGA 28100.

Northern Valsad District Lighthouse
#Valsad Khadi (Bulsar Khari) (3)
1966 (station established 1866). Inactive since 2018 and later removed. This was a 30 m (98 ft) square steel skeletal tower with gallery and a small lantern. There was a 1-story equipment shelter in the base of the tower and a 1-story keeper's house adjoining the lighthouse. Entire lighthouse painted white. Kartik Tandel has a photo of the old and new lighthouses (also seen at right) and Jyoti Minar has a 2016 photo. Google's satellite view confirms that the older lighthouse was removed. The original mast light was replaced by a taller mast light in 1930.
** Valsad Khadi (Bulsar Khari) (4)
2018 (station established 1866). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 30 m (98 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, a round observation room, and two galleries. Lighthouse painted with red and white spiral bands. Kartik Tandel has a photo of the old and new lighthouses (also seen at right), Karun Patel has a 2023 photo, and Vinit Shah has a closeup photo. Khadi is a Hindi word for "connection," here meaning the inlet from the sea. Located about 2 km (1.25 mi) south of the mouth of the Auranga River, 8 km (5 mi) west of Valsad. Accessible by road. Site open, tower open late afternoons daily. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-172; Admiralty F0480; NGA 28108.

Navsari District Lighthouse
** Kanai Creek
1983. Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 30m m (98 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery painted with black and whitee horizontal bands. Satchidananda Arya has a 2023 photo and Google has a foggy street view and a satellite view. Located north of the mouth of Kanai Creek. Site open, tower open in late afternoons. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-143; Admiralty F0479; NGA 28112.

New (left) and old Valsad Khadi Lights, Valsad, January 2019
Google Maps photo by Kartik Tandel

Surat District Lighthouses
* Wasi Borsi (Borsi Beach) (2)
1982 (station established 1965). Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); white flash every 7 s. 34 m (112 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and double gallery, painted with horizontal red and white bands. The design of the present lighthouse is unusual; the light is supported by four square concrete pillars, with the stairway exposed between them. Bhushan Parab has a 2018 photo, Emil Roshal has a 2021 closeup, and Google has a 2022 street view and a satellite view as well as a distant street view from the nearby beach. The first lighthouse was a skeletal tower. Located at the south end of a barrier island about 25 km (15 mi) west of Navsari. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-167; Admiralty F0478; NGA 28116.
* Hazira (Hajira, Taptee, Suvali Point) (3)
1966 (station established 1836). Active; focal plane 39 m (118 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 25 m (82 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white; lantern roof painted red. Rahul Sharma's 2022 photo is at right, Shishir Desai has a 2016 photo, Manish Choudhary has a 2020 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Hazira, at the southern entrance to the Gulf of Khambhat, was one of the first British light stations in India; the 20 m (66 ft) round stone tower completed in 1836 was replaced by a 27 m (90 ft) round brick tower in 1867. Today Hazira is being developed as a major port facility to relieve pressure on the overcrowded piers of Mumbai. Located on a promontory on the north side of the entrance to the Tapti River estuary from the Gulf, about 30 km (19 mi) southwest of Surat. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-136; Admiralty F0476; NGA 28120.
Hazira Range Front
2005 (?). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 23 m (75 ft) robust round steel tower. No closeup photo available but Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. The range guides vessels into a protected anchorage at Hazira. Located at the water's edge northwest of the Hazira lighthouse. Site status unknown. Operator: Hazira Port. Admiralty F0476.3.

Hazira Light, Hazira, July 2022
Google Maps photo by Rahul Sharma
Hazira Range Rear
2005 (?). Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 27 m (89 ft) robust round steel tower painted green. Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located about 300 m (1000 ft) east northeast of the front light. Site status unknown. Operator: Hazira Port. Admiralty F0476.31.
#Dandi Point (Bhagwa Creek) (2?)
Date unknown (station established 1886). Inactive since 2019 and apparently removed. This was a 26 m (85 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view of the location. The original light was on a mast. Located at the mouth of Bhagva Creek, about 25 km (15 mi) west of Surat. Site status unknown. ex-Admiralty F0472; NGA 28124.

Bharuch District Lighthouses
* Luhara Point (Luvara Point, Broach Point) (2)
1977 (station established 1887). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 15 s. 24 m (79 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a round concrete base. Lighthouse painted in a red and white spiral pattern; lantern painted white. A photo is at right, Farmesh Vasava has a 2018 photo, Asim Patel has a sunset photo, Prakash Patel has a view from atop the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse was a skeletal tower. Located on a point of land near Ambetha, at the entrance to the Narbada River, which leads to the port city of Bharuch. Accessible by a walk of about 1.5 km (1 mi) from the village of Luhara (local guidance needed). Site open, tower open but the schedule is not available. Operator: DGLL. Admiralty F0470; NGA 28128.
Gujarat Chemical Port Jetty
2009. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 35 m (115 ft); red flash every 5 s. 35 m (115 ft) terminal control building supported by concrete piles. Building painted yellow with brown trim. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located near the end of the long jetty, projecting into the estuary about 5 km (3 mi) north of Luhara Point. Site and tower closed. Owner/operator: Gujarat Chemical Port. Admiralty F0469.5; NGA 28130.
Devjagan (Tankari Point)
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 12 m (39 ft); continuous white light. 13 m (43 ft) round stone tower. Google has a satellite view and a very distant street view. The lighthouse appears abandoned. Located on a point of land at the entrance to the Dhadar River estuary (the northeast fork of the Gulf of Khambhat), about 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Devjagan. Site status unknown. ARLHS IND-130; Admiralty F0468; NGA 28132.

Luhara Point Light, Bharuch, January 2021
Google Maps photo by profparas

Jamnagar Lighthouse Directorate Lighthouses

Bhavnagar District: Bhavnagar Taluka (Gulf of Khambhat) Lighthouses
The Bhavnagar District is located along the west side of the Gulf of Khambhat in the eastern part of the region known as Saurashtra. Bhavnagar was a principality before India became independent; it became a British protectorate in 1807.
Ruvapari (Ruvapori) (2)
1922 (station established 1891). Active (?); focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 12 s. Square 1-story wood keeper's house with a pyramidal corrugated iron roof, mounted on Burmese teak pilings; since 1994 the light has been shown from the top of a tall mast mounted on the roof. A DGLL photo is at right and Google has a satellite view; in both views the lighthouse appears high and dry on mud flats. The original lighthouse was destroyed by a tropical cyclone in 1920. The survival of this old-fashioned pile lighthouse is astonishing. The Indian Quarterly had an article by Ramesh Menon (no longer online) stating that the lighthouse has a resident keeper. The 16 teak straightpiles are about 450 mm (18 in) in diameter. Located on the south side of the entrance to what is now the Bhavnagar New Port, about 11 km (7 mi) east of the town. It may be possible to walk to the lighthouse, but this doesn't appear to be a very attractive option. Site open, tower closed. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-162; Admiralty F0456; NGA 28156.
#Bhavnagar Port Range Rear
Date unknown. Collapsed in 2021. This was an approx. 25 m (82 ft) square skeletal tower. The tower appears at 0:14 in a 2021 video by Vatsal Champaneri. The range guided ships in the narrow entrance to the new Bhavnagar port. Google's street view and satellite view confirm the loss of the lighthouse; another street view appears to show part of the fallen tower. Located in marshland west of the port at Bhavnagar. Site status unknown (access would be difficult). Operator: Gujarat Maritime Board. Admiralty F0455.1; NGA 28164.
Bhavnagar New Port
Date unknown. Apparaently inactive; dropped from the Admiralty list but listed by NGA with focal plane 20 m (66 ft); red flash every 8 s. Approx. 19 m (62 ft) square skeletal tower painted white. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located in marshland southwest of the port at Bhavnagar. Site status unknown (access would be difficult). ex-Admiralty F0455.6; NGA 28168.
* Ghogha (5?)
Date unknown (station established 1856). Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); red light occulting once every 15 s. 16 m (52 ft) square (or rectangular) cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted with horizontal red and white bands. A photo (second photo on the page) is available, Ibrahim Shekh has a 2018 photo, Jatin Shah has a sunrise photo, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. The station was inaugurated in 1856 with a mast light; this was replaced by a cast iron tower in 1887 and then by a masonry tower in 1936. Another tower was built in 1961. (We need more information about the history of this station!) Although Ghogha is a minor port the present lighthouse functions mostly as an approach light for Bhavnagar. Located on the west side of the Gulf of Khambhat at Ghogha, about 22 km (14 mi) southeast of Bhavnagar. Site open, tower closed. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-134; Admiralty F0452; NGA 28176.

Ruvapori Light, Bhavnagar
DGLL photo
 
Lightship Perigee
1973 (station established 1936). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 7 s. 21 m (69 ft) unstaffed steel lightfloat; the solar-powered light is shown from a square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with gallery. Entire vessel painted red. A DGLL photo is at right and Bing has a satellite view. This vessel, the third to serve on the station, marks a dangerous shoal in the channel on the approach to Bhavnagar. Operated as an automated lightfloat, the ship was reported still on station in 2010. Located 3 km (2 mi) northeast of the Ghogha lighthouse; there should be a distant view from the Ghogha waterfront. Site and vessel closed. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-144; Admiralty F0449; NGA 28184.
Piram Island
1865 (extensively rebuilt in 1965). Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 27 m (89 ft) round cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a circular 2-story base. Lighthouse painted with horizontal black and white bands. V.T. Balar has a 2018 closeup photo and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was repaired after a damaging fire in 1928. In 1965 its height was increased by 3 m (10 ft) and a new lantern was installed; photos suggest that only the 2-story base remains from the British lighthouse. The island is privately owned and available for purchase or development. Located on the southwest side of the island, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Ghogha. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-006; Admiralty F0448; NGA 28180.
* Alang
1965. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); white flash every 3 s. 24 m (79 ft) hexagonal cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted with horizontal black and white bands. Allott Christian has a 2019 photo, a 2022 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Alang is the site of a huge shipbreaking yard, where obsolete ships are scrapped. Located on the southwestern shore of the Gulf of Khambhat, about 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Alang. Site open, tower closed. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-123; Admiralty F0446; NGA 28188.
Lightship Perigee
Lightship Perigee, Bhavnagar
DGLL photo

Bhavnagar District: Talaja Taluka Lighthouses
*** Gopnath Point (2)
1975 (station established 1879). Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 30 m (98 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted with horizontal red and white bands (the rear of the tower is all white). Sohil Sarkazi has a 2010 photo, Wikimedia has a view, and Google has a 2023 street view and a satellite view. In 2021 a 3-story building was built around the tower and opened as a maritime museum; Vijay Parmar's 2021 photo shows the building under construction and Rahul Kambad's 2023 photo (seen at right) shows it completed. The new lighthouse is 500 m (0.4 mi) north of the old one. There are beach resorts in the vicinity of the lighthouse. Located on a promontory marking the southwestern entrance to the Gulf of Khambhat from the Arabian Sea, about 32 km (20 mi) east northeast of Mahuva. Site open, museum appears to be open daily, tower status unknown. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-135; Admiralty F0444; NGA 28192.
* Gopnath Point (1)
1879. Inactive since 1975. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round masonry tower with double gallery, painted white. Lantern removed. An account of a visit to the lighthouse has photos of the old and new towers (near the bottom of the page) and Google has a satellite view. This abandoned historic lighthouse was built by the government of Bhavnagar state. Clearly endangered: the lighthouse appears to be in deteriorating condition. Located near the point of the cape. Site open, tower closed.
* Jhanjhmer (Zanjhmeshwar) (2)
1970 (station established 1870). Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); white flash every 10 s. 9 m (30 ft) square masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with red trim; lantern dome painted red. Chetan Raval has a 2018 closeup photo and Google has a satellite view. The original light was a small lantern atop a fort built by the prince of Bhavnagar; the present lighthouse stands on the ruins of the same fort. Located on a bluff about 8 km (5 mi) southwest of the Gopnath Point lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-140; Admiralty F0442; NGA 28196.

Bhavnagar District: Mahuva Taluka Lighthouse
* Jegri Island (Mahuva) (2)
1960 (station established 1871). Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 30 m (98 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted with horizontal black and white bands. A closeup photo and a 2021 photo are available, Amit Sorathiya has a 2014 photo, Bhavin Patel has a view from the beach, and Google has a satellite view. The original light was mounted on the keeper's house. Jegri is a small island just off the coast at Mahuva, linked to the mainland by a bridge. Located on a high bluff at the south point of the island; accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. Operator: DGLL. ARLHS IND-139; Admiralty F0438; NGA 28200.

Gopnath Point Light, Gadhula, November 2023
Google Maps photo by Rahul Kambad
 

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: South: Maharashtra | West: Southern Gujarat

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Posted February 6, 2006. Checked and revised September 8, 2024. Lighthouses: 26. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.