The Devundara Point Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Sri Lanka, located at the Devundara Point, near the southernmost point of Sri Lanka, and is one of the tallest lighthouses in Southeast Asia. The Devundara Point Lighthouse is operated and maintained by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
The lighthouse is located near the village of Devundara, approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) southeast of Matara city. The name Devundara is derived from the local Sinhala word for “Devi-Nuwara”, with “Devi” meaning “god” and “Nuwara” meaning “city”. Hence, Devundara is derived as the “City of the Gods”.
History
The Devon Point Lighthouse was designed by Sir James Nicholas Douglas and construction began in November 1887 by William Douglas of the Imperial Lighthouse Service. All building materials, including bricks and steel, were imported from England. The granite was sourced from quarries at Dalbeattie in Scotland and Penryn in Cornwall. The lighthouse was completed and opened to the public in March 1890. The combined cost of building the Devon Point Lighthouse and Barberin Lighthouse was ₤30,000, paid for from the arrears of the Great Ravana Fort and the Little Ravana Fort lighthouses.
Lens
The Devundara Point Lighthouse is one of a limited number of lighthouses constructed using large hyper(r)adiant Fresnel lenses obtained in the late 19th century. Four of these lenses, designed by the Chance brothers of England, were used for lighting in Sri Lanka.
Features
The lighthouse is 49 metres (161 ft) tall, has 7 storeys, 14 yellow windows and 196 steps to the top. Devundara Point Lighthouse is one of the four international lighthouses in Sri Lanka. With the introduction of the Global Positioning System, the lighthouse was modernised in 2000, establishing computerised links with other major lighthouses around the coast.
