Light Over Andaman’s Blue Horizon
By A Draft Correspondent
Most visitors first encounter it not as a structure but as a silhouette. The boat from Aberdeen Jetty cuts across the harbour, and the island appears ahead, green and compact, fringed with white sand and shallow reefs. Then, as the vessel turns slightly, the lighthouse reveals itself, cylindrical and unpretentious, standing on a rise that commands a panoramic view of the surrounding sea lanes.
“It felt strangely familiar,” says Vivek Rao, a banker from Pune, who visited after noticing the lighthouse on a currency note. “I had held that ₹20 note so many times. To suddenly see the real lighthouse in front of me was surreal. It is like meeting someone you only knew from photographs.”
Constructed to guide vessels navigating the busy waters around South Andaman, the lighthouse forms part of a wider network maintained by India’s Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships. These waters have long been strategic. The Andaman Sea is not merely picturesque; it is a crucial maritime corridor connecting the Bay of Bengal to the Strait of Malacca. Ships, ferries and fishing boats move through these channels daily, and the lighthouse continues its original purpose of ensuring safe passage.
Trivia clings to the structure like sea breeze. When the ₹20 note featuring the North Bay lighthouse was issued in the late 20th century, it inadvertently turned a functional maritime installation into a point of national curiosity. Travellers began arriving not just for snorkelling and sea walks, which North Bay is famous for, but to stand at an angle that replicates the currency image. The juxtaposition of lighthouse, palm-fringed shore and open sea became instantly recognisable.
“It is India’s most pocket-sized monument,” laughs Shalini Dutta, a schoolteacher from Kolkata. “You carry it in your wallet for years and then one day you stand beneath it. That connection makes the visit special.”
The island itself is part of the larger Andaman archipelago, which sits on a volatile tectonic arc formed by the subduction of the Indian Plate beneath the Burmese Plate. Earthquakes and the 2004 tsunami reshaped parts of these islands, and North Bay was not untouched. Yet the lighthouse endured, a testament to resilient coastal engineering in a seismically active region.
Reaching the lighthouse involves more than a casual stroll. Boats anchor off the beach, and visitors disembark to find a lively shoreline dotted with activity counters offering snorkelling, glass-bottom boat rides and sea walking experiences. The coral reefs here are among the most accessible near Port Blair, making North Bay a favoured day trip. From the beach, a path and a series of steps lead uphill towards the lighthouse. The climb is modest but steep enough to remind you that navigational authority requires elevation.
At the top, the reward is a sweeping view. To one side lies the vast Andaman Sea, stretching in layered blues towards the horizon. To the other, across the water, you can spot the outlines of Port Blair and the surrounding islands. On clear days, the light seems almost theatrical, illuminating the reefs below in translucent greens.
A local guide named Imran gestures towards the shipping route in the distance. “People think it is just for tourists,” he says. “But ships still rely on these lights. In bad weather, when visibility drops, this beam matters.”
The lighthouse is not ornate. It does not boast elaborate galleries or a museum within. Its appeal lies in its function and context. It stands where coral reefs meet deep channels, where leisure boats share waters with cargo vessels, where currency design meets coastal reality.
Evenings bring a gentler mood. As the last boats prepare to return to Port Blair, the island quietens. The reef glows softly under the lowering sun, and the lighthouse, stark against the sky, prepares for its nightly duty. One can imagine the beam cutting across darkness, a disciplined arc of light tracing safe passage over waters that have witnessed colonial voyages, wartime manoeuvres and modern tourism alike.
For many, the lighthouse visit becomes a small ritual. They pull out a ₹20 note, hold it up against the view, and align paper with panorama. It is a playful act, but also a reminder of how landscapes seep into national imagination.
In the end, the North Bay lighthouse is more than a photo opportunity. It is a working sentinel in a strategically vital sea, a survivor of tremors and tides, and a rare instance where everyday currency captures a real, breathing piece of maritime heritage. You arrive as a tourist, perhaps chasing a familiar image. You leave with the sense that you have stood at a quiet crossroads of geography, history and light.
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