Chowra Island is about 65 km South-East of Car Nicobar Island.The island is almost flat except for southern end rising vertically in a rocky pinnacle to an elevation of 105 m bearing an appearance of a flap hat. As such the island was named ‘SAMBRERO’ by the early Portuguese Navigators. Chowra Island was the capital of Nicobar Islands in the ancient times. The islanders of Chowra are expert in clay pottery and Canoe building. The inter island passenger vessels touch this island almost fortnightly for Port Blair and Campbell bay.
There is a small jetty provided on the Eastern Shore of the island for canoes and boats. The boats ferry the passengers from the jetty to the vessels which anchor about a km away from the coast.
The Lighthouse trestle has been established on the coast near the jetty. It is the first lighted beacon on the island. The erection of the trestle tower was completed in 1989. The DA gas equipment with 500 mm optic supplied by M/s J. Stone India, Calcutta, was installed on the trestle in 1991. The light was commissioned into service on the 15th May 1991. Four years later the DA gas flasher source was replaced by halogen lamp and electronic flasher operating on solar charged batteries. This was commissioned on 25th March 1995. |
