Marina Beach Information & Marina Beach Links at HealthHaven.com

Coordinates: 13°03′15″N 80°17′01″E / 13.05418°N 80.28368°E / 13.05418; 80.28368

Marina Beach along Kamarajar Salai

Marina Beach is a beach in the city of Chennai, 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 about 12 km.^[1] The Marina is primarily sandy, unlike the short, rocky formations that make up the Juhu Beach in Mumbai on the west coast of India. The sandy area is very wide but contrary to popular local belief it is not the longest or second longest beach in the world.

[edit] History

The beach washed up close to the present day road for a long time until the harbour was built in 1881. Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant-Duff, the governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886, conceived and built the promenade along the beach and christened it the Marina in 1884. 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. Despite these problems, a visit to the Marina is considered a must for any tourist coming to Chennai.

Panoramic view stretch of the sandy Marina beach

[edit] 2004 tsunami

Marina beach after the tsunami

On December 26, 2004, a tsunami caused by an earthquake struck the shores of Chennai at around 8:30 AM. The entire coastline of Chennai, including Marina beach, was affected. Sea waters engulfed the entire Marina beach, whose width is quite large. Morning joggers and children playing cricket were among those affected. The worst hit was the fishing community settled near the beaches. The tsunami left 206 dead^[2] in Chennai and destroyed properties of people in the city. While recovery has been difficult, the fishing community has been hard at work rebuilding their treasured coastline to boost their morale and make the area attractive to vacationers. As the tsunami struck on a Sunday morning, casualties were fewer than they would have been in a evening when people throng the beach.

[edit] Attractions and activities

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 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 tall, artificial Marina Waterfall was installed in September 2005 at a cost of 1.5 million Indian Rupees.

[edit] Structures

The PWD building

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.

[edit] 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 M. G. Ramachandran and C. N. Annadurai, former Chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, are present on the beach. Recently, a statue of the actor Sivaji Ganesan was installed.

Other statues are:

[edit] Institutions, historical buildings and monuments

Victoria War Memorial
Anna Memorial
MGR Memorial
University of Madras Chepauk Campus
Public Works Department
Presidency College
University of Madras Marina Campus
Vivekananda House
Lady Wellington School
Queen Marys College
Inspector General of Police Headquarters
Forensic Science Department
All India Radio, Chennai
Light House

[edit] Other structures

Anna Swimming Pool
Marina Swimming Pool
Aquarium
Marina Cricket Ground
Dr. Annie Besant Park

[edit] Railway stations alongside the beach

Chepauk Railway Station
Thiruvallikeni Railway Station
Light House Railway Station

[edit] Controversies

A stage called "Seerani Arangam", which was used by religious groups and political parties to address gatherings, was demolished by the government of under the Chief Ministership of Ms. Jayalalitha in order to modernise the beach. This created a great controversy.

The Kannagi statue was demolished as a part of the modernisation of the beach, which led to a huge protest and demonstration by the opposition DMK party. When the DMK later came to power it was installed in the same place by the DMK party chief M. Karunanidhi.