Lighthouses of India: Goa

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. This page lists lighthouses of the central western coast of India in the state of Goa. Goa is in the northern part of the coast known historically as the Malabar Coast. For many centuries it was visited by Arab and sometimes Chinese traders, and it was the first Indian coast encountered by European explorers. In general, the coastline is low and sandy, but the land rises quickly behind the beaches to the mountains called the Western Ghats.

The major lighthouses of India are staffed and by tradition most of them are open to visitors for a short time during the late afternoon every day; inquire locally concerning the times.

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 Kannada, the official language of Karnataka, the word for a lighthouse is transliterated from English as laiṭ'haus (ಲೈಟ್ಹೌಸ್); dvipa is an island, nadi is a river, and bandaru is a harbor. In Konkani, the official language of Goa, the word for a lighthouse is bautokato.

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. Coastal lighthouses of Karnataka and Goa are maintained by the Goa Directorate. Harbor lighthouses are maintained by the respective port authorities.

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: Goa Region
Lighthouse information from DGLL, including photos for most of the lighthouses.
Lighthouses in India
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
List of Lighthouses in India
Index to Wikipedia articles.
World of Lighthouses - India
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - India
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. Most of the photos from this area are by Douglas Cameron.
Indian Lighthouses
Historic postcard images posted by Michel Forand.
Leuchttürme Asiens auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for the Indian coast.

Fort Aguada Light, Candolim, Goa, April 2022
Google Maps photo by Sai Avinash
Goa, India's smallest state by area, was the principal territory of the former Portuguese India. It remained under Portuguese control from the early 16th century until it was captured by Indian troops in 1961. In 1987 it became the 25th state of the Indian union.

South Goa District Lighthouses
[Cabo da Rama]
1890. A 1904 light list includes a light with a focal plane of 62 m (203 ft). Nothing remains of the light tower but Vinay Raut has a street view of foundation ruins that must be of the light station. Google's satellite view identifies the ruins as "Canon tower." Cabo da Rama is a prominent headland at Canacona near the southern border of Goa. Site open.
** Betul (Cape Rama) (2?)
2015 (station established 1890). Active; focal plane 88 m (289 ft); white flash every 15 s. Approx. 21 m (69 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white spiral bands. A 2022 photo is at right, Bikash Pradhan has a 2016 photo, Conroy Rodrigues has a second photo, Viresh Vazirani has a gallery view from atop the tower, Ashwin Sekhar has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located atop a steep hill behind Betul Beach southwest of Margao. Site open, tower open in late afternoons daily. . Admiralty F0631; NGA 27758.
St. George Island (Ilha de São Jorge, Grand Island) (2)
1977 (station established 1956). Active; focal plane 93 m (305 ft); four flashes every 20 s, white or red depending on direction. 16 m (52 ft) slender round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery and an external stairway spiraling around the tower. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. A DGLL photo is available, Gregorio Cabral has a view from the sea and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The original light was on a skeletal tower. The Ilha de São Jorge (St. George Island) is now called Grand Island. Located on an island about 8 km (5 mi) south southwest of Marmagão. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS IND-112; Admiralty F0628; NGA 27768.
* Mormugao (Mormugão) Breakwater North Head (2)
Date unknown (station established 1902). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); one long (1.5 s) flash every 5 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 23 m (75 ft) 2-stage tower: the lower half is a hexagonal concrete or masonry tower painted all white; the upper half is an hourglass-shaped fiberglass (?) tower painted with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has Cameron's closeup photo, Chetan Gouda has a 2019 photo, Innayat Ahammad has a 2018 photo, Jayprakash Ambati has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Forand has a historic postcard view of the original tower. Located at the north end of the breakwater at Mormugao; apparently accessible by walking the breakwater, but there should also be a good view from the ferry between Panaji and Marmagao. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Mormugao Port Authority. ARLHS IND-101; Admiralty F0622; NGA 27760.
* Mormugao (Mormugão) Breakwater East Head (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); white flash every 10 s. 6 m (20 ft) round hourglass-shaped tower painted black with one white horizontal band. Innayat Ahammad has a view along the pier and Google has a satellite view. Located at the east end of the breakwater at Marmagao; apparently accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Mormugao Port Authority. Admiralty F0622.2; NGA 27764.

Betul Light, Margao, December 2022
Google Maps photo by Suneita
* Ilha São Jacinto (Range Rear)
1900. Inactive for many years; charted as a landmark. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round stone tower with a round lantern structure. Jason Bourne has a 2008 photo, Roger Rebelo has a 2012 closeup, and Bing has a satellite view. This abandoned lighthouse is clearly endangered. It was built as the rear light of an entrance range. Located in dense forest on São Jacinto Island, just off the south side of Marmagao Bay. The island is accessible by a bridge and presumably the lighthouse is accessible by a hiking trail; local guidance may be needed. Site open, tower closed.

North Goa District Lighthouses
* Tejo Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); continuous red light. 12 m (39 ft) 3-stage tower with a square base, a hexagonal central section, and a skeletal mast at the top; lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. Google has a street view and a fuzzy satellite view. This is an outbound range guiding vessels leaving Panaji, the principal port of Goa. Located in front of a government youth hostel on the south side of the entrance to the Mandovi River. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Panaji Port Authority. Admiralty F0613.1; NGA 27792.
* Tejo Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); quick-flashing red light. 10 m (33 ft) 2-stage tower with a square base topped by a square cylindrical concrete skeletal tower; lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. A spiral stairway reaches the gallery. Rama Kant Vishwakarma has a 2019 photo, Vishwajeet Vidyarthee has a 2017 photo, Bhadresh Savaliya has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located 90 m (295 ft) north of the rear light. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Panaji Port Authority. Admiralty F0613; NGA 27788.
* Panaji Range Front (Campal, Kala Academy) (2)
1981 (station establishement date unknown). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 3 s. 22 m (72 ft) round cylindrical concrete or masonry tower, painted white. A 2022 photo is at right, Aparna Balasubramanian has a 2010 photo, Shubham Karpe has a 2019 closeup, Wikimedia has Amol.Gaitonde's 2008 photo, Girish Kamath has a 2016 street view, and Google has a satellite view. This is the front light of the entrance range for Panaji. The lighthouse is endangered by erosion of the riverbank and in December 2016 it was announced that it would be rebuilt. However, Sahil Shirodkar's July 2018 photo shows that this had not yet occurred and a 2023 photo shows the old tower still standing. Located on the south bank of the Mandovi River in front of the Kala Academy. Site probably open, tower closed. Operator: Panaji Port Authority. ARLHS IND-106; Admiralty F0610; NGA 27780.
Panaji Range Rear (Penha di Frans)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 56 m (184 ft); white flash every 3 s. 11 m (36 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower centered on a square concrete base. The tower carries a triangular daymark painted with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has Cameron's photo and Google has an indistinct satellite view and a distant street view. Located on a hill on the north side of the Mandovi River just west of the Mandovi Bridge, about 1.9 km (1.2 mi) northeast of the front light. Site status unknown. Operator: Panaji Port Authority. ARLHS IND-107; Admiralty F0610.1; NGA 27784.

Range Front Light, Panaji, Goa, November 2022
Google Maps photo by Short Notes
* Reis-Magos (Raaj-Magus)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); green flash every 1.5 s. 12 m (39 ft) round white stone tower. Masood Mujawar has 2015 street view, Suraj Singh has a view from the water, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This light is a twin of the Aguada Point lighthouse (see below and at right). Located in Betim, on the north bank of the Mandovi River about 500 m (0.3 mi) north of the 16th century Reis-Magos fort. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Panaji Port Authority. Admiralty F0614; NGA 27796.
* Fort Aguada (Goa)
1864. Inactive. 13 m (43 ft) round old-style stone tower, incorporating keeper's quarters, with lantern and gallery, painted white (after a long struggle to find an effective way to keep paint on the tower). Sai Avinash's 2022 photo is at the top of this page, Tony Wasserman has a 2019 photo, Satya Sundar Chatterjee has a 2018 closeup photo, Wikimedia has several photos, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This wonderful old building was in service as recently as the 1970s but by 2005 it was abandoned and deteriorating. In recent years there have been repeated efforts to refurbish the historic building. In late 2005 and early 2006 the exterior of the lighthouse was patched and painted white, as seen in a March 2006 photo. This was an improvement but Vineeth K. Bhat's May 2007 photo shows the lighthouse quickly reverting to its weathered appearance. Early in 2008 the lighthouse was once again patched and painted, but by December it was weathering again, as seen in Biplab Narendra's photo. Ankit Khanna's June 2010 photo shows another repainting and Pankaj Anand's August 2012 photo shows another cycle of weathering. The two lighthouses of Fort Aguada were paired as a range during the early 20th century. Located in Fort Aguada, an early 16th century Portuguese fortification, about 10 km (6 mi) west of Panaji. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS IND-170.
*** Aguada (Fort Aguada, Goa) (2)
1902. Active; focal plane 85 m (279 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 21 m (69 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern roof painted red. Kamal Irukulla's 2022 photo is at right, Nasa Anil Kumar has a 2021 photo, a 2009 photo is available, Swechha Prakash has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. Apparently this light was built originally as the front light of a range, with the old lighthouse (previous entry) as the rear light. It is not known when the range was discontinued. Located a short distance west of Fort Aguada. Site open, tower open daily 10 am to 5:30 pm. ARLHS IND-069; Admiralty F0606; NGA 27772.
Aguada Point
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (86 ft); red flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) (?) round stone tower with gallery; lantern removed. Tower painted white. Victoria Bensley has a closeup 2006 photo, Sushanta Banerjee has a view from the sea (also showing the Fort Aguada Light atop the hill), and the tower is centered in Google's fuzzy satellite view. The lighthouse is a short distance west of the historic Aguada Jail. Located on the point below Fort Aguada, at the northern entrance to the Mandovi estuary and Panaji harbor. Site status unknown. Operator: Panaji Port Authority. ARLHS IND-070; Admiralty F0607; NGA 27776.

1902 Aguada Light, Candolim, September 2022
Google Maps photo
by Kamal Irukulla

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: South: Karnataka | North: Maharashtra

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Posted January 30, 2006. Checked and revised August 23, 2024. Lighthouses: 13. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.