The first Pentagon shaped lighthouse in the country started functioning at Valiyazheekkal near Alappuzha – Kollam boarder coastline. With the exception of the lockdown, the lighthouse is set to open. Height 41.26 m. Lighting systems up to 20 nautical miles (51 km) from shore. Working hours vary from 7pm to 6.15am, although it varies from month to month depending on the sunrise and sunset. The lighthouse has been installed with National Automatic Identification for Shipping Direction and Speed. The total cost of the lighthouse was 10 crore.
Out of 10 Cr, 4.8 crore for lighthouse pillars, 1.2 crore for lifts and technical equipment. The remaining amount is for infrastructure and a museum at the top. The lighthouse built on the Valiyazhikkal beach facing the Azheekal beach and the falls is fully visible from the Azheekal beach and Pulimuttu (breakwater). This lighthouse is managed by the Directorate of Light House and Light Ships, headquartered in Kochi under the Ministry of Shipping.
The lighthouse also sheds light on the tourist map of Kerala from Thottapally to Vellanathuruthu. The Valiyazhikkal Bridge, the largest 3 bow string arch bridge in South India, starts near the lighthouse. The bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 140 crore with special facilities to watch the sunrise and sunset. Concrete suspension bridge at Idachira, Mangrove Forest at Aayiramtheng, TM Chira. The Azheekal Tsunami Memorial, Azheekal Beach, Amritapuri, TS Canal, Ochira Parabrahma Temple, Krishnapuram Palace and the Lalit Kala Academy’s Cartoonist Shankar Memorial Museum will be on display.
Lighthouses first appeared in the voyages of Kollam in 1902. The historic birth took place at Thankassery at a height of 142 with the lighthouse, the landmark of Kollam, built by the English. The lamps in the Thankassery lighthouse, which were lit with kerosene, were switched to electricity with the passage of time. Its capacity is 13 nautical miles. Chief Engineer, Indian Lighthouse Department, Renovated in 1940 under the leadership of A.N Celine, there was a spiral ladder made of iron and wood to enter the top of the Thangassery lighthouse. The elevator was installed here after two thousand and ten. It is circular in color with white and red colors.
