Marina Beach Chennai- 2nd Largest Beach In The World

 ::Marina Beach::

Panoramic view stretch of the sandy Marina beach

Marina Beach along Kamarajar Salai

Marina Beach (மெரினா கடற்கரை) is a beach in the city of Chennai (Madras), India, along the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south, a distance of 14  km,^[1] making it the longest urban beach in the country. The Marina is primarily sandy, unlike the short, rocky formations that make up the Juhu Beach in Mumbai. The width of the beach at the widest stretch is 437 meters.

History:

Before the Madras harbour was built, the Marina beach was just a strip of mud, teeming with mudskippers. The beach washed up close to the present day road for a long time until the harbor was built in 1881. Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff, the governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886, conceived and built the promenade along the beach in 1885 and christened it the Madras Marina. Eventually, the north-drifting current widened the beach to its present extent.

The Marina used to be famed for its pristine beauty, jolly ambiance, and rich ecosystems. However, since the middle of the 20th century, the beach and water has become polluted. A proliferation of plastic bags, human waste and other pollutants have rendered many parts of the beach unusable. In recent years, many voluntary organizations have taken up the task of cleaning up the Marina and protecting the ecosystem. Particular efforts include protection of Olive Ridley turtle nests along the Neelangarai section of the beach.

Attractions and activities:

Sunday evening crowd at the Marina Beach

As seen from the MRTS

 

Fishing nets on the beach

Marina beach is a major tourist attraction. People visiting Chennai make a point to visit the beach. The beach is popular for its shops and food stalls. The memorials and statues, morning walk, joggers' track, lovers' spot, aquarium, etc., make it a hangout for people of all ages. The sea is rough and waves are strong. There are fishermen colonies present at both ends of the beach.

Bathing/swimming is illegal at Marina beach and there are no lifeguards stationed here. The Chennai Corporation previously known as, 'The Madras Corporation' took up the Marina Renovation Project in 2008 which aims at improving landscaping, seating arrangements, walkways and lighting along the promenade and is near completing the work of renovating the beach at a cost of 259.2 million Indian Rupees. There is a skating rink behind the Gandhi Statue which has been improved with hand rails and tiles on the periphery under the Marina Renovation Project. A total of 14 galleries with seating arrangements have been created on the 2.8 km stretch between Triumph of Labour Statue and the Light House. The 3 km stretch from the Anna Square to the Light House has uninterrupted pavement and a sub-road parallel to the main road.

As part of "Chennai Forever" initiative by Tamil Nadu government, a 34 feet (10 m) tall, artificial Marina Waterfall was installed in September 2005 at a cost of 1.5 million Indian Rupees.

 A visitor centre near the Cooum river mouth on the Marina, similar to the Marina Barrage Visitor Centre in Singapore and San Antonio Visitor Centre in the United States, has been planned as part of an initiative to create awareness of the need for clean waterways.

Structures:

The PWD building

C. N. Annadurai's Memorial

MGR Samadhi

Facing the Marina Beach stands the Vivekananda House (formerly known as the Ice House) where the great monk Swami Vivekananda stayed for nine days in 1897. The Vivekananda House hosts art exhibits about the life and mission of Swami Vivekananda, the ideologies of the Hindu religion, etc. which form an attraction.

Being the city's primary area for recreation, the entire stretch features numerous statues and monuments that have come up over the years along the beach promenade, called Kamarajar Salai. The stretch is also home to various governmental institutions and historic buildings from the British rule.

Statues:

A set of stone statues adorns the roadside area of the beach. Most statues are of national or local legends like Mahatma Gandhi, Kannagi and Thiruvalluvar, while others have symbolic significance like the Triumph of Labour Statue. Memorials for C. N. Annadurai and M. G. Ramachandran, former Chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, are present on the beach. Recently, a statue of the actor Sivaji Ganesan was installed.

Other statues are:

• Robert Caldwell
• Constanzo Beschi (Veerama Munivar)
• Subramaniya Barathiyar
• Subhash Chandra Bose
• George Uglow Pope
• Annie Besant
• Bharathidasan
• Kamarajar
• Avvaiyar
• Thanthai Periyar
• Kannagi

Marina Beach Pictures Gallery: