Barberyn Island Lighthouse

Barberyn Island Lighthouse Barberyn Island Lighthouse Barberyn Island Lighthouse

The Barberyn Lighthouse in Beruwala is located on Barberyn Island; approximately half a mile offshore from the little town of Beruwala. This tiny 8 acre tropical island has hosted the lighthouse for over a century. Today, Barberyn Lighthouse is one of only four international lighthouses in Sri Lanka.

History

Barberyn Lighthouse was built by the British Colonials in 1889, to cope with the dangerous waters and underwater reefs in Beruwala that could rip out the bottoms of ships. The lighthouse was managed by the British Imperial Lighthouse Service.

After the country gained independence in 1948, the management was taken over by the Sri Lankan government. In 1969 the old dioptric apparatus produced by Chance Brothers was replace with a Pharos Marine PRB-21 sealed beam optic and drive pedestal rotating beacon. This made it one of the most modern lighthouses of the time. In 2000, technology caught up with the lighthouse and, a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) was installed and the Barberyn lighthouse was linked via a network with all the major lighthouses in the country.

In 2004, the Boxing Day Tsunami hit the island; but the lighthouse was not affected, escaping damage miraculously. Today Barberyn takes its stand as an international lighthouse that provides safe passage to thousands of sea vessels every year.

Things to See

Visitors are not allowed to enter the lighthouse, due to a fairly recent debacle where some people caused a lot of trouble after entering. However, one of the five lighthouse keepers will be happy to have a chat and explain how the lighthouse is operated.

There are a few ruins from the British era; some of which have large open windows with picture postcard-like views. When you wander the island you will also find an old abandoned well that supplied water for the inhabitants.

Amongst the structures still in use, is an old clay roofed hut. The hut was a bar for lighthouse keepers during the British era. Though no more top quality alcohol remains nowadays, the hut is still used as a place to socialize and have fun.

Barberyn is an island that is reminiscent of a tropical paradise, with its pretty 100 foot tall lighthouse, swaying palm trees, thick tropical foliage, and bright blue sea. There’s even a few ruins to give it an exciting aura of mystery. Hence, it’s a great place to picnic, have a nice swim and spend a relaxing day at. Since not many people take the effort to talk to the fishermen and negotiate a reasonable price to ferry them over; there are not many visitors disturbing the peace and quite of the island. If proper permission is obtained, you may even be able to camp out and spend a night or two.

Barberyn Island Lighthouse 

À propos du district de Kalutara

Kalutara est située à environ 42 km au sud de Colombo. Autrefois un important centre commercial d'épices, elle a été contrôlée par les Portugais, les Néerlandais et les Britanniques à différentes époques. La ville est connue pour ses paniers et tapis en bambou de haute qualité, ainsi que pour ses délicieux mangoustans. Le pont de Kalutara, long de 38 mètres, a été construit à l'embouchure de la rivière Kalu Ganga et sert de lien majeur entre les frontières occidentale et méridionale du pays. À l'extrémité sud du pont se trouve le Kalutara Vihara, un temple bouddhiste construit dans les années 1960, qui détient la distinction d'être la seule stupa au monde qui est creuse.

À propos de la province de l'Ouest

La province de l'Ouest est la province la plus densément peuplée du Sri Lanka. Elle abrite la capitale législative, Sri Jayawardenapura, ainsi que Colombo, le centre administratif et commercial du pays. La province est divisée en trois principaux districts : Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1 386,6 km²) et Kalutara (1 606 km²). En tant que centre économique du Sri Lanka, la province de l'Ouest abrite toutes les grandes entreprises locales et internationales, ainsi que des détaillants de grandes marques et de mode, vous offrant ainsi de nombreuses opportunités de shopping.

Avec la population la plus élevée de toutes les provinces, la province de l'Ouest possède également de nombreuses institutions éducatives prestigieuses, telles que l'Université de Colombo, l'Université de Sri Jayawardenepura, l'Université de Kelaniya, l'Université Ouverte du Sri Lanka, l'Université bouddhiste et pali du Sri Lanka, l'Université de Défense générale Sir John Kotelawala et l'Université de Moratuwa. La province de l'Ouest possède également le plus grand nombre d'écoles du pays, y compris des écoles nationales, provinciales, privées et internationales.

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