Madras High Court And Its Two Lighthouses, 1900 Postcard

Madras High Court And Its Two Lighthouses, 1900 Postcard

A 1900 postcard featuring the Madras High Court and its two lighthouses. The Madras High Court is more than a landmark judicial building; it also houses the city’s two lighthouses. Completed in 1892, the magnificent Indo-Saracenic High Court building was one of the largest judicial buildings in the world at the time.

One of the High Court’s central domed towers incorporated the second Madras Lighthouse, whose powerful lamp began guiding ships into the busy harbour in 1894. It replaced the older 125-foot Doric columned lighthouse, which was completed in 1844.

For nearly a century, the lighthouse atop the High Court dome served as a vital beacon for vessels navigating the Coromandel Coast before being replaced by the present Marina Lighthouse in 1977. Together, the earlier beach lighthouse and the High Court lighthouse reflect Madras’s rich maritime heritage.

Did you know – the first lighthouse of Madras was established in 1796 on the roof of the Officers’ Mess and Exchange Building inside Fort St George. Today, this historic building houses the Fort Museum.