The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
The Gateway of India is
one place which is always teeming with crowds – tourists gawking at the Gateway
or casting yearning glances at the luxury yachts, regulars sitting on the
parapet wall, relishing a break from their routine lives, couples posing for
cameras, kids chasing pigeons or feeding gulls, people waiting for ferries –
either for a joy ride or to get to the Elephanta Island, or even to Alibag. If the
shore is a teeming mass of people, the sea here is a melee too, with ferries,
launches, yachts and fishing boats, all jostling for space. Amidst all this
chaos, stands a small structure, forgotten and unnoticed.
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| Dolphin Rock Lighthouse |
This is the Dolphin Rock
Lighthouse, built in 1856 to help ships find their way into the port.
58 feet tall, the lighthouse is unattended, and exhibits a white-green
occulting light every 4 seconds, with a visibility of 7 miles. I have no idea
if the lighthouse is still used, invisible as it stands among all the boats which
dock at the Gateway Jetty.
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| Dolphin Rock Lighthouse - a closer view |
Interestingly, this is
just one of the three lighthouses in Mumbai Harbour.
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| Sunk Rock Lighthouse against the Mumbai skyline |
The Sunk Rock Lighthouse was
built in 1884, about 5 Km from the Gateway of India. This is an operational,
though unattended lighthouse, 66ft tall, showing a red light with white rays
flashing every 6 seconds.
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| Sunk Rock Lighthouse |
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| Sunk Rock Lighthouse |
The Prongs Lighthouse is
among the most well-known among the lighthouses of Mumbai. After all, its
tapering, 144 ft high tower is visible from Colaba, and can be accessed on foot
during low tide (with all due permissions of course!).
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| Prongs Lighthouse |
This is also the only
manned lighthouse in the area (and among the few offshore lighthouses in the
world still staffed), used even today for the purpose it was built, in 1874.
This lighthouse marks the entrance to Mumbai Harbour, and replaced the onshore
Colaba Point lighthouse, of which no trace remains today. This lighthouse is
located about 2.5 Km off the southernmost tip of Colaba, and emits a white
flash every 10 seconds.
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| Prongs Lighthouse |
Further away, between
Mumbai and Alibag, lies the Kennery Lighthouse, now called the Kanhoji
Angre Lighthouse, on what was known as the island of Khanderi. The
island was once in the hands of the Portuguese, who built a fort there. It was
later occupied by the Marathas, and eventually, by the British, who built the
lighthouse in 1867. This lighthouse is no longer operational, but is in the
process of being developed into a tourist destination.
These lighthouses serve
to remind us that Mumbai grew into the city it is, all because of its natural
harbour. The port has played an important role in the development of the city,
and continues to do so. These lighthouses, small and big, have played their
part through history, standing as silent sentinels. Yet we know so little of them, which is why it
is so good to see the Mumbai Port Trust making an effort to open up its
glorious history to visitors and tourists. I was able to visit these three
lighthouses (I have yet to visit the Kennery Lighthouse), thanks to the collaboration
between the Kala Ghoda association
and the Mumbai Port Trust, which
led to the Mumbai Port and Harbour Tour being conducted during KGAF 2014.
This post is simply one portion
of the tour, and comes first simply because I was so fascinated by
these lighthouses, some of which I had never heard of before. However, there
were more interesting things we saw along the way, and coming up next is a
photo blog of the tour itself.
The massive turnout for the tour,
despite the early hour was a clear indication of just how interested people
were, in tours like this, and was a shout to both, the Kala Ghoda Association,
as well as the Mumbai Port Trust to conduct more such tours in the future. The
Port Trust apparently has plans for regular such tours in the near future, and
I hope it starts off soon.
Information:
The Dolphin Rock Lighthouse can be seen from the Gateway of India. You
can see it better when you go on a boat ride, but you can still catch a glimpse
of it between all the boats moored at the jetty.
The Sunk Rock Lighthouse can only be approached by boat. However,
you can only see the lighthouse from a distance, since entry is prohibited, and
so is approaching too close.
The Prongs Lighthouse is managed by the Directorate of
Lighthouses and Lightships, and permission to visit needs to be taken from
them. The lighthouse can be approached by the sea as well as land. Approach by
boat is risky, since fishermen lay nets in this area. Also, permissions are
needed from the Port Trust as well as the Naval authorities, due to the
location. The lighthouse can be approached from the reefs during low tide, and
involves a trek of about 2.5 Km each way. However, the approach is once again
through Naval land, so permissions are needed.
If you can get through all these permissions from all these
authorities, I am sure you will have a wonderful experience (and also lots to
talk about!). However, if you, like me, would much rather wait for the Mumbai Port Trust to
begin tours to the Lighthouse, we can but hope that it begins soon!
By what time had the registrations closed? I was there at 8 and it was already full :( !
ReplyDeletewe were there by 6:15 and were already 34th or 35th :) and ppl who came by 6:30 had to leave without tokens
DeleteHey Anuradha, thanks for sharing these lovely pictures. It's wonderful to know about these gems about Mumbai that go unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more pictures
Thank you, Bhavesh!
DeleteAnother lovely read :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Aarti!
DeleteI have been to the Gateway of India, countless times but never actually saw this lighthouse. Thanks for share this blog Anuradha. I will surely check it out in my next Gateway visit. Keep posting such blogs because I had a great time reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Indrajit! Its not just you, but even I hadnt noticed the lighthouse in all these years! lets hope there are more such initiatives so we can really get to know our city!
DeleteHi, any idea if it's happening this year & if it is when is it happening? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI haven't see any announcements for such tour lately. Is there any contact where we can approsch for visit to Prongs Lighthouse. I had been till Sassoon dock but beyond that entry seemd to be restricted
ReplyDeleteVery nice information.. I have been looking for this information since long..Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWould like to suggest a small correction regarding khanderi island fort. It was built by Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji maharaj. Task to build fort was carried out by mayank bhandari and his 300 navymen