the goan I network
CANACONA
Several picnickers have been visiting the island, with the Karnataka government promoting it as a tourist attraction and ferrying tourists from the Karwar port to Devgada. Some visitors even carry provisions for an overnight stay on the island.
One of the main attractions on the island, which has a rich biodiversity, is the heritage Oyster Rocks Lighthouse, which has a logistic base support from the RT station at Karwar Port. A two-member staff is regularly posted to operate this lighthouse.
Known as the Oyster Rocks Lighthouse and built by the British in the 1860s, the lighthouse was reportedly commissioned into service on March 25, 1864. This tower was upgraded with optical equipment and PV Burner in 1933, by a company from Paris. It was only in 1999 that the Indian government, as part of a modernisation programme, replaced the light source with a 230 V 250W metal halide lamp along with inverters and batteries charged by solar power (SPV) modules.
The tower is 20 metres in height and the Fresnel Lens has a capacity to reach as far as 37 kms (20 nautical miles), spreading all the way to Betul in Goa, which comes within the range of this lighthouse lens towards its north, and beyond Ankola (Karnataka) towards the south. A display board at the lighthouse indicates the timings when the lighthouse is switched on and off.
This lighthouse is considered as an important link for navigational purpose in the region, after the Fort Aguada lighthouse in Goa.
Even though the only official link to the island is believed to be from Karwar port, with an hour’s journey by motorboat, some visitors also travel by boat either from Polem or the nearby Majali-Karwar coast.
The large rocks marking these islands are also believed to remain covered with oysters (Kalvam), due to which the islands have earned the name Oyster Rocks Islands.
