Dondra Head Light House

Dondra is the southernmost point of Sri Lanka. Dondra Head lighthouse is a lighthouse located on Dondra Head near the southernmost point of Sri Lanka. This is the tallest lighthouse in Sri Lanka and also one of the tallest in Southeast Asia. The lighthouse is near the village of Dondra, and is approximately 6 km from the Hotel . The name Dondra is a synonym for “Devinuwara” in the local Sinhala language, “Devi” meaning “Gods” and “Nuwara” meaning “City”. Dondra is therefore derived to mean “City of the Gods”.

Sir James Nicholas Douglass designed Dondra Head Lighthouse with construction by William Douglass of the Imperial Lighthouse Service, commencing in November 1887. All the building materials including the bricks and steel were imported from England. The granite rock was supplied from quarries at Dalbeattie in Scotland and Penryn in Cornwall. The lighthouse was completed and commissioned in March 1890.