Bural Reef (Chanka Island) Lighthouse

Bural lighthouse on the North West point of the vast Bural reef is an important land mark for vessels cruising in the deep water channel leading to SBM Vadinar and Sikka ports. Bural reef is the largest reef close to Saurashtra coast in the gulf of Kachchh. It has on it three high islets,Bhaidar Tapu, Narara Tapu and Chank Tapu. They are separated from Bural by shallow channels. Bural Lighthouse site is logistically located. It is approachable by Light house tender MV Deepstambh or by hiring a machine boat from Okha or Salaya port. The small size boats can be taken up to the Lighthouse during high tides. However during the low tide the boat has to be anchored away from the reef and a dinghy boat has to be used to reach the reef edge and then cover the remaining distance up to the Lighthouse by walk It is not safe to venture the sailing during monsoons.There wasn’t any beacon existing earlier on Bural reef. The construction of a Lighthouse was taken up in 1977 and completed by the 1978 end. The 500 mm optic and Dal’en mixer lighting equipment of AGA make working on DA gas was installed and commissioned into service on the 19th April 1979. A Lighthouse Engineer P.K. Vanvari breathed his last on 21 March 1978 at Bural during the construction of the Lighthouse.Subsequently ‘Marconi’ Racon was also installed on the Lighthouse on 17th March 1980. It received energy from the battery charged by Solar Panels which was the first ever use of Solar panel at an island station in the Department of Lighthouses & Lightships. The DA gas equipment was removed and in its place flasher operating on Electronic circuit and Halogen lamp (JLWL) was installed and commissioned on 18th March 1994. The ‘Marconi’ Racon was replaced by ‘Tide land’ Racon on 18th February 1997.