Little Basses Reef Lighthouse, Offshore lighthouse on Little Basses reef, Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Little Basses Reef Lighthouse is a 34-metre tower on Kuda Ravana Kotuwa reef, about 10 km offshore and 14 km from Yala National Park. It was built to house one of the large hyperradiant Fresnel lenses made by Chance Brothers, four of which were used in Sri Lankan lighthouses. The active light is operated by the Sri Lanka Navy.
The lighthouse was designed by Sir James Nicholas Douglass and built by William Douglass, completed in 1878 using the same steam ships, crew and workers as the Great Basses Reef Lighthouse. It withstood the 2004 tsunami with only modest damage and was repaired with help from Trinity House and the Northern Lighthouse Board.
The Sinhala name Kuda Ravana Kotuwa means "Fort of Little Ravana", linking the reef to the Ramayana legend of Ravana. The British renamed it Little Basses after the reef. Naval officer Buddhika notes that each Sri Lankan lighthouse has its own colours and construction, and many emit their own radio wave frequency, as can be seen at the Dondra lighthouses.
The lighthouse stands on a reef about 14 km off the coast of Yala National Park, roughly 10 km from land, so it can only be reached by boat; the Sri Lanka Navy operates and maintains the site. Trips are arranged with local operators or the Navy, and the crossing should be planned around sea and weather conditions.
The reef's Sinhalese name, Kuda Ravana Kotuwa, means Fort of Little Ravana, linking the site to the Ramayana legend of Ravana; the British renamed it Little Basses after invading Ceylon. Nearby lies Daedalus Rock, where HMS Daedalus sank in 1811.
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