Kovilan Point lighthouse lies in the Jaffna peninsula on the northwestern corner of the Karativu island about 25 km from the Jaffna town. This is the largest island on the peninsula and is connected to the mainland through a causeway. This island also boasts one of the best beaches in Jaffna.
In the Jaffna peninsula lies a total of 4 lighthouses along with numerous forts built by our colonial masters to protect the precious cargo moving out of Pearl Island. On the far left of the northern border lies the Kovilan Point Lighthouse on the Karaitivu Island. Next is the Kankesanthure Lighthouse (Kankesanthurai Lighthouse) and at the far right lies the Point Padro lighthouse. Othe south of the Jaffna peninsula lies a rather odd lighthouse at Pungudutivu Island.
The lighthouse is a 30m high tower built in 1916. This is a round masonry tower 30 meters in height. Due to the terrorist activities in the past, this has not been operational and or maintained. The surrounding area has been under the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and was not accessible to the general public. But with the LTTE terrorist organization crushed, this area is now accessible to the general public.
This lighthouse was declared as a protected archaeological monument in 2011.
Also See
- Lighthouses of Sri Lanka
- Attractions of Sri Lanka
- Heritage of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of Kovilan Point Lighthouse
The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites
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Travel Directions to Kovilan Point Lighthouse
Jaffna can be reached through 2 directions. The first one is over the Elephant Pass which is the normal route to Jaffna. The other entrance is from Pooneryn over the newly built Sangupiddi Bridge. This road connects to Mannar.
Route 01 from Colombo to Jaffna (Through Kurunegala) | Route 02 from Colombo to Jaffna (Through Puttalam) |
Through : Kurunegala – Dambulla – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya Distance: 400 km Travel Time: 7-8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google map | Through: Puttalam – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya Distance: 400 km Travel Time: 7-8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google maps |
Route from Jaffna to Kovilan Point Lighthouse |
Through : kareinagar Road Distance : 23 km Travel time : 40 minutes Driving directions : see on bing map ( google maps are not complete) |
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