The Directorate General of Lighthouse and Lightships (DGLL) has set up the lighthouse museum adjacent to the historic Kannur lighthouse in Payyalmbalam beach, a few kilometres away from Kannur town.
The Kannur lighthouse, overlooking the Arabian Sea, has been a silent witness to a number of significant episodes of the history of the land.
The new lighthouse museum, having a handful of rare exhibits on display, will be a treat for history enthusiasts and tourists, a top official said.
He said the lighthouse museums are developed as part of the Directorate General's plans to promote lighthouse tourism.
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"Through these lighthouse museums, we can retain the legacy of lighthouses and its significant history and pass them on to the next generation," he said.
A gigantic optic, used in Lakshadweep Lighthouse during the 1885-1962 period, a 19th century double-wick lamp of Kannur Lighthouse, a huge fog-bell used to alert shipmen and a deep-sea buoy are some of the exhibits to be displayed at the Kannur lighthouse museum.
A tri-lingual short film in Hindi, English and Malayalam, will help visitors get an idea about the history of lighthouses in the country.
The film will be screened in a 20-seater mini theatre.
He said around Rs two crore was estimated as total cost for the Kannur lighthouse museum, whose construction had begun last year.
"We plan to open the lighthouse museum to visitors later this month. We expect that it will become a major tourist attraction in the region," the official said.