#MahabalipuramLighthouse is located in #TamilNadu, India. It has been open to tourists since 2011. It was closed in 2001 following a perceived threat from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The first light was commissioned here in 1887. The lighthouse, with a circular masonry tower made of natural stone, became fully functional in 1904. India's oldest lighthouse, built around 640 AD by Pallava king Mahendra Pallava stands next to this modern structure. The Pallava era lighthouse is a protected monument, maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.