One of the first known lighthouses was built in 285 B.C. at Alexandria, Egypt
Kirti Anand’s fascination for lighthouses probably goes back to her childhood days of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five; a casual remark by her brother while master-planning their rural land parcel triggered this memory and Viola! The seed for constructing a modern day lighthouse was planted.
This 51 foot structure is nothing short of a design marvel as it is constructed entirely with compressed stabilised earth blocks made on site with soil excavated from the land. It has no RCC pillars and beams.
The initial plan was to have a ‘Potteresque’ library along the spiral staircase, however, that required a very large footprint which would have not been proportional to the maximum height feasible with the mud blocks.
So deriving inspiration from the Mahabalipuram Lighthouse and one at Fort Niagara a final design was made.
This now has a library on the ground level with a spiral staircase and then a submarine style rung ladder to reach the Viewing Gallery at about 30 feet
The light shining through the glass windows at night makes you feel like you are in a fairytale. The wind wane atop points to North and the lightning conductor keeps the lighthouse and all surrounding buildings safe
While some visitors are hesitant to climb up the 50 odd steps, the adventurous ones are rewarded with breathtaking views of a Sunset, neighbouring paddy fields and the Wargal lake, besides a bird’s eye view of the sprawling Arbor Road Estate.