Okha Lighthouse

Okha is well connected by Rail and Road links. There is a daily rail service to Mumbai. It is interesting to note that Okha has the Railway station, Bus station, Passenger Boat Terminal and the port, all situated within one km radius. The famous pilgrim centre Beyt Dwarka is situated on the island opposite Okha port. This region is known as Okhamandal and prior to Independence it was part of Baroda State of Gaikwad. They had developed the port at Okha during 1920s. It was inaugurated by Maharaja Sayaji Rao on 14th February 1926. Baroda state maintained a Sea police force to patrol the sea around. The MG rail link was extended to Okha in 1925 which was converted to BG in 1978. Okha is the gateway to the Gulf of Kachchh. There are rocky shoals and reefs close to the coastline and off Okha-Lushington shoal, Gurur shoal, Bobby shoal, Samiyani shoal, and the reefs of Chinri (Chandri), Paga and Bural. Okha was the base for the site investigations and hydraulic survey of Lushington shoal area carried out in November-December 1952 by Prof. B.Hellstrom and Dr L.Rundgren of the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm and then by Engineers India Ltd team for providing a lighthouse at Lushington shoal. The harbour of Okha is a natural harbour well protected by Samiyani and Beyt islands. The harbour is open throughout the year and vessels of moderate size can be berthed alongside the jetty. There was a regular passenger steamer service till 1950’s between Okha and Bombay touching some of the other ports on Saurashtra coast.

During the early developmental stage of Okha port, the light on Samiyani Island was the only Lighthouse guiding the mariners entering Okha harbour. There was no light at ‘Vomani Point’-the site of the present Lighthouse. In the year 1935 a 30 m high steel trestle tower was erected at a site called Okha point (about 3 km from Vomain point). A fixed white light (Sr. No F 0392) was exhibited from this tower. This was converted to occulting character light in 1936. The trestle tower was painted red & white. A flag also used to be hoisted from this tower. Soon after the Independence and transfer of Karachi major port to Pakistan, attention drew to Kandla port in the gulf of Kachchh as a substitute for Karachi. As such there was demand to improve the entire system of aids to navigation in the gulf of Kachchh – Okha region in particular. A modern Lighthouse and a Radio beacon therefore was planned at Okha in the skeleton plan of 1950. This was the foundation for an important centre for Aids to Marine Navigation at Okha.