Heritage

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse

#9of 10 places to visit in MahabalipuramMahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu

Also known as Mamallapuram Light House · New Lighthouse

Quick answer

Opening hours: 10:00–12:30 and 14:00–16:45. Entry: ₹10 Indian · ₹25 foreign. Allow 30 min. Best time: 10:00 – 11:00.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

Get directionsOfficial site

Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Opening hours: 10:00–16:45
Entry fee: ₹10 Indian; Ticket from
Time needed: 30 min
Best time of day: 10:00 – 11:00
Best months: Oct – Mar
Address: Temple Hill, off West Raja Street, Mahabalipuram, Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu 603104

About Mahabalipuram Lighthouse

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse has stood 26 metres tall in brick and stone above the town's granite hill since 1904, its beam still guiding coastal shipping along the Bay of Bengal more than a century after construction. The tower is functionally separate from every other monument in Mahabalipuram: it falls under the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships rather than the Archaeological Survey of India, and visitors climb a working spiral staircase rather than view a static ruin. Immediately beside it stands Olakkaneswara Temple, a structural Pallava-era shrine that colonial administrators pressed into service as an early lighthouse, fitting its tower with an oil-wick lamp and lens system from 1887 until the current tower replaced it in 1904.

Best time of day: 10:00 – 11:00. Right at opening, to beat both the midday closure and the late-morning tour-bus queue.

Photography

₹20 camera fee

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse timings

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse is open 10:00–12:30 and 14:00–16:45. Those hours hold on Saturday and Sunday too.

Opening hours: 10:00–16:45; Mon–Sun 10:00–12:30 and 14:00–16:45
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	10:00–12:30 and 14:00–16:45

Opening hours compiled from lighthouse.nic.in and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse ticket price

Entry fees for Mahabalipuram Lighthouse
Ticket	Price
Indian visitors	₹10
Foreign visitors	₹25
Children	Free
Camera	₹20

Charged by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, separate from ASI monument pricing. Figures and the exact split between closed days fluctuate; as of 2026, verify at the counter.

Prices compiled from lighthouse.nic.in and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Mahabalipuram Lighthouse

Quiet
Moderate
Very busy

10:00 – 11:00
Morning Opening
First entry of the day; a short queue forms as the gate opens but clears quickly.
Moderate
11:00 – 12:30
Late-Morning Tour Groups
Coach groups combine the climb with the nearby cave temples, filling the narrow spiral staircase before the midday closure.
Very busy
12:30 – 14:00
Midday ClosureBest time to go
The tower is closed to visitors for staff break and maintenance; only the exterior and Olakkaneswara Temple remain viewable.
Quiet
14:00 – 16:45
Afternoon Session
A steady but manageable flow of visitors through the afternoon window ahead of the final entry cutoff.
Moderate

History of Mahabalipuram Lighthouse

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse was completed in 1904 to replace an improvised arrangement that had used the older Olakkaneswara Temple as a working aid to navigation since 1887, when the colonial Madras government fitted the ancient shrine's tower with an oil lamp and a fourth-order optic. Olakkaneswara Temple itself, sometimes called the Old Lighthouse, is a structural stone temple dedicated to Shiva built during the later Pallava period; tourism material describes it as dating to the region's seventh- and eighth-century Pallava building phase, though the temple's precise construction year rests more on stylistic dating than on a surviving inscription, and specific regnal-year claims about it should be treated as tradition rather than settled fact. Worship at Olakkaneswara ceased once its lighthouse role began in the nineteenth century and has not resumed. The current tower, built from brick and stone masonry to a height of 26 metres, transferred all active lighthouse duties away from the temple and remains an operational aid to navigation maintained by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships.

Rules & etiquette at Mahabalipuram Lighthouse

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse charges ₹10 for Indian nationals, ₹25 for foreign nationals, and an additional ₹20 for cameras, as of 2026 — figures worth confirming at the counter since the lighthouse authority revises tower fees separately from ASI monument pricing. Visiting hours run in two blocks, roughly 10:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:45, with the midday gap reserved for staff break and maintenance rather than public access; arriving during the closed window means waiting outside until the afternoon session opens. The spiral staircase to the top is narrow, unlit in sections, and unsuitable for visitors with mobility limitations or significant fear of enclosed heights; there is no lift. Bags and tripods are typically left with the gatekeeper before the climb.

Tips for visiting Mahabalipuram Lighthouse

1
Mahabalipuram Lighthouse gives the single best panoramic view in town, taking in the Five Rathas complex, the Bay of Bengal coastline, and the granite hill's cave temples in one sweep from the gallery at the top. Arrive close to the 10:00 opening or the 14:00 reopening to avoid both the midday closure and the longer queues that build once tour buses reach the site by late morning. The neighbouring Olakkaneswara Temple can be viewed from outside at any time without a ticket, since only the working tower itself is fee-gated. Combine the climb with Mahishasuramardini Cave Temple and Varaha Cave Temple on the same hillside for one uphill loop that covers three sites without doubling back down to the road.

How to reach Mahabalipuram Lighthouse

The red star is Mahabalipuram Lighthouse; the numbered pins are the 7 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

Temple Hill, off West Raja Street, Mahabalipuram, Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu 603104Directions in Google Maps

From Mahabalipuram Bus Stand
0.8 km · 10 min walk uphill
Free (walking distance)
From Five Rathas Complex
₹40–₹60
2 km · 6–8 min
Auto
From Chengalpattu Junction (CGL)
₹500–₹700
29 km · 45–60 min
Auto/cab

Nearest airport

From Chennai International Airport (MAA)

approximately 58 km, 1h 15m–1h 45m by road via ECR/OMR depending on traffic.

Nearest railway station

From Chengalpattu Junction (CGL)

approximately 29 km, 45–60 minutes by road.

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse FAQs

Who manages Mahabalipuram Lighthouse, ASI or another body?

The Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships manages the working tower, not the Archaeological Survey of India, which is why its ticket price and hours differ from the town's other monuments.

What are the visiting hours?

Roughly 10:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:45, split by a midday closure for staff break. The exact hours can shift seasonally, so verify at the counter as of 2026.

What is the older structure beside the lighthouse?

Olakkaneswara Temple, a Pallava-era stone shrine that colonial administrators converted into a working lighthouse from 1887 to 1904 before the current tower replaced it; it is not open for worship or public climbing today.

Is there a lift to the top of the lighthouse?

No. Visitors climb a narrow spiral staircase with no lift access, which makes the tower unsuitable for people with significant mobility limitations.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places