A lighthouse is a tower, building, or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses are used to mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals and reefs, and safe entries to harbours and can also assist in aerial navigation. Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and replacement by modern electronic navigational aids.
Visiting and photographing lighthouses are popular hobbies as is collecting ceramic replicas. Some lighthouses are popular travel destinations in their own right, and the buildings maintained as tourist attractions.
According to the ARLHS there are 25 lighthouses in Sri Lanka. Out them there are 14 active lighthouses. While most of these lighthouses are under the control of Ports Authority while others are under the control of the Sri Lanka Navy.
There are 4 international lighthouses in Sri Lanka.
- Beruwala ( Barberyn) Lighthouse
- Dondara Lighthouse
- Little Basses Reef
- Great Basses Reef
Lighthouses of Sri Lanka
- Barberyn Lighthouse Beruwala
- Batticaloa Lighthouse Batticaloa
- Chapel Hill Lighthouse Trincomalee
- Colombo Lighthouse Colombo
- Colombo Island Breakwater North End Lighthouse Colombo
- Colombo Island Breakwater South End Lighthouse Colombo
- Dondra Head Lighthouse Dondra Head
- Foul Point Lighthouse Trincomalee
- Galle Lighthouse Galle Fort
- Great Basses Reef Lighthouse Southern Province
- Hambantota Lighthouse Hambantota
- Jaffna Channel Lighthouse
- Kankesanthurai Lighthouse Kankesanthurai
- Kovilan Point Lighthouse Karainagar
- Little Basses Reef Lighthouse Southern Province
- Mannar Island New Lighthouse Talaimannar
- Mannar Island Old Lighthouse Talaimannar
- Mullaitivu Lighthouse Mullaitivu
- Old Colombo Lighthouse Colombo
- Oluvil Lighthouse
- Point Pedro Lighthouse Point Pedro
- Pungudutivu Lighthouse
- Round Island Lighthouse
- Sangamankanda Point Lighthouse
