East Coast Road
Encyclopedia
East Coast Road is a two lane highway in Tamil Nadu
, India
, built along the coast of the Bay of Bengal
connecting Chennai
to Cuddalore
via Pondicherry. Presently, the East Coast Road has been extended up to Thoothukudi
via Chidambaram, Karaikal, Nagore, Nagapattinam, Thiruthuraipoondi, Muthupet, Adirampattinam, Meemisal, Thondi, Ramnad. The total length of the road is 690 km from Chennai to Thoothukudi, but as of now work has almost completed till Ramnad, remaining 200 km work on pending.
along NH-45.
in Chennai and is a part of the Chennai City roads till Uthandi. From Uthandi starts the scenic beachway section starts as a toll road. The speed of the vehicles on this road is restricted to a maximum of 80 km/h. The State Government is keen on expediting the proposal for four-laning of the East Coast Road (ECR). The State Highways Department is in the process of seeking certain geometrical changes in the present alignment of the ECR as a measure to reduce the number of fatal accidents.
The ECR was made a toll road in April 2002. The ECR till Hanumanthai near Pondicherry is 113.2 km long and has a total of 22 bends. On an average 12,000 vehicles use the road daily, up from about 5,000 daily before the construction of the road. The process of acquiring land for widening the 11.4-km stretch from Thiruvanmiyur to Akkarai covering six revenue villages, which is under the control of the Highways Department, is under way.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, built along the coast of the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
connecting Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
to Cuddalore
Cuddalore
Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...
via Pondicherry. Presently, the East Coast Road has been extended up to Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi , also known as Tuticorin, is a port city and a Municipal Corporation in Thoothukudi district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thoothukudi is the headquarters of Thoothukudi District....
via Chidambaram, Karaikal, Nagore, Nagapattinam, Thiruthuraipoondi, Muthupet, Adirampattinam, Meemisal, Thondi, Ramnad. The total length of the road is 690 km from Chennai to Thoothukudi, but as of now work has almost completed till Ramnad, remaining 200 km work on pending.
History
Prior to its completion, the East Coast Road mainly consisted of village roads connecting one fishermen hamlet to another. The vital connecting link then was the Old Mahabalipuram Road till Mahabalipuram. Pondicherry was reached from Chennai through the still existent and busy route via TindivanamTindivanam
Tindivanam is a town and a municipality in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Important roads from north to south Tamil Nadu pass through Tindivanam and similarly from west to east.-History:Tindivanam is a Selection grade Municipal Town...
along NH-45.
ECR today
The ECR starts at ThiruvanmiyurThiruvanmiyur
-Transport:The area is easily accessible by Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses and has a sprawling bus terminus. Bus Routes connecting Thiruvanmiyur with other places in Chennai are: 1, 1A, 1C, 1D, 6D, 22A, 23C Extn., 29M,29C Extn., 41C, A47, 47A, 47D, M1, M49, M7, C51, T51, M23, M19, M70,...
in Chennai and is a part of the Chennai City roads till Uthandi. From Uthandi starts the scenic beachway section starts as a toll road. The speed of the vehicles on this road is restricted to a maximum of 80 km/h. The State Government is keen on expediting the proposal for four-laning of the East Coast Road (ECR). The State Highways Department is in the process of seeking certain geometrical changes in the present alignment of the ECR as a measure to reduce the number of fatal accidents.
The ECR was made a toll road in April 2002. The ECR till Hanumanthai near Pondicherry is 113.2 km long and has a total of 22 bends. On an average 12,000 vehicles use the road daily, up from about 5,000 daily before the construction of the road. The process of acquiring land for widening the 11.4-km stretch from Thiruvanmiyur to Akkarai covering six revenue villages, which is under the control of the Highways Department, is under way.
Places of interest
----- Marundeeswarar TempleMarundeeswarar TempleMarundeeswarar Temple is a legendary temple located in the breezy area of Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai adjacent to the beach of Bay of Bengal. This is the biggest temple in Thiruvanmiyur. This is a magnificent temple built for Lord Shiva, in his incarnation of Lord Marundeeswarar. Lord Marundeeswarar is...
- Located about 4 km from Adayar and is one of the temples on the East Coast Road. Technically, this marks the beginning of the coastal road.
- Sholinganallur Prathyangira Devi TempleSholinganallur Prathyangira Devi TempleSri Maha Prathyangira Devi Temple is located in the breezy area of Sholinganallur, Chennai, India, adjacent to the beach of Bay of Bengal. The Temple sits on the banks of the Buckingham Canal. This is a magnificent temple built for Goddess Prathyangira, in her incarnation of Shri Maha Prathyangira...
- The temple is located close to the junction and half way down the link road of ECR and OMR. The Goddess, Shri Maha Prathyangira Devi is throned, gigantic and powerful. Regular poojas are offered every day and special poojas during festive season.
- Cholamandal Artists' Village - Founded in 1966, by K.C.S. PanikerK.C.S. PanikerK. C. S. Paniker, was one of the best metaphysical and abstract painters in India, took to interpreting the country's age-old metaphysical and spiritual knowledge in the 60s, when Indian art was still under the influence of the western painters...
, now an important art destination in the state.
- DakshinaChitraDakshinchitraDakshinchitra is an attempt to preserve some of the traditional south Indian ways of life by constructing a "living" village containing some of the various traditional homes of south India....
- It is a center for the living traditions of art, folk performing arts, craft and architecture of India with an emphasis on the traditions of South India. A project of the Madras Craft Foundation (MCF), a non-profit organisation. DakshinaChitra opened to the public in December 1996. The center occupies ten undulating acres overlooking the Bay of Bengal, at Muttukadu, twenty five kilometers south of Chennai, on the East Coast Road.
- Muttukadu - Located at 23 km from Adayar, this backwater area is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, and offers rowing, wind surfing, water skiing, and speedboat riding.
- Thameem Ansari Baba DargaThameemul AnsariHazrat Thameemul Ansari was a Muslim saint whose dargah is located in Kovalam, Tamil Nadu, India which is 59 km from Chennai. Hazrat Thameemul Ansari was born in the city of Medina and is a Sahaba ....
- Located at Kovalam or Covelong is a famous Muslim shrine. Thameem Ansari, a devoted follower of the words and deeds of Prophet Mohamed was born in Medina. Soon after his demise, and as per his last wish, his mortal remains were put in a coffin and immersed in the sea. However, it reached the shores of Kovalam beach. Thus came into being the holy shrine of the Muslim Saint Thameem Ansari Baha. The first Thursday after full moon day is observed as a day of devotion. The Durgah is open from 5.00 a.m to 10.00 p.m.
- CovelongCovelongCovelong is a fishing village in India, 40 kilometres south of Chennai, on the East Coast Road en route to Mahabalipuram. Covelong was a port town developed by the Nawab of Carnatic, Saadat Ali...
- Located at 26 km from Adayar, this bay is the site of a colonial Dutch Fort, and a fishing village with wind surfing opportunities. - Tiger caveTiger CaveThe Tiger Cave is a rock-cut Hindu temple complex located in the hamlet of Saluvankuppam near Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, India. It gets its name from the carvings of tiger heads on the mouth of a cave which forms a part of the complex. The Tiger Cave is considered to be one of the Mahabalipuram...
- ancient place with large rocks located before five kilometres from Mamallapuram - ThiruvidandaiThiruvidandai"Thiruvidandai" is one of 108 Divya desam. It is near Chennai around 40 km. It is Varaha Kshetram. It is famous for marriages.- The temple :...
- One of the 108 important places of vaishnavites, this small hamlet houses the temple of Nithyakalyana perumal.
- Madras Crocodile Bank TrustMadras Crocodile Bank TrustThe Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology is a reptile zoo and herpetology research station, located south of the city of Chennai, in state of Tamil Nadu, India. The centre is both a registered trust and a recognized zoo under the Wildlife Act, 1972 and is India's leading...
- Center for herpetology - The brainchild of Romulus Whittaker, the acknowledged specialist on reptiles, this centre has gained fame as an endeavour for the preservation and propagation of endangered species of crocodiles. The centre also houses a large variety of snakes.
- Mahabalipuram - An UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for its Pallava sculptures and the shore temples.
- Pondicherry- (Tamil: புதுச்சேரி Putuccēri; French: Poudouchéry), formally known as Puducherry (and still nicknamed Pondy), is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or regions, and named after the largest region, Pondicherry. The territory was officially known as Pondicherry until 2006 when it was renamed Pondicherry.
- CuddaloreCuddaloreCuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...
- Kadalur, is a Municipal Corporation in Cuddalore district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.ThiruvanthipuramThiruvanthipuramThiruvanthipuram Kovil is a Vaishanva Hindu Temple in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu in South India. The primary deity here is Lord Vishnu in the form Devanatha Swami. The koil is among the 108 Divya Desams, the holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, it is mentioned...
, ThirupathiripuliyurThirupathiripuliyurThirupathiripuliyur in Cuddalore is one of the ancient temples in Tamil Nadu. It is named after the Pathiri Tree and the Puliyur, a tiger-legged saint who obtained absolution in the area.- Padaleeswarar Temple:...
temples and Silver Beach are located in Cuddalore
- Alamparai FortAlamparai FortLocation : 12.2659224N 80.0100804EThe ruins of Alamparai Fort lie near Kadapakkam, a village 50 km from Mamallapuram on the land overlooking the sea. Constructed in the late 17th century during the Mughal era, the Alamparai Fort once had a 100-metre long dockyard stretching into the sea, from...
- is the ruins of an old Moghul fort which was destroyed by the British in the 1700s. Although it is now an archeological site, it has spectacular views of the backwaters and a picturesque place to visit.
- KaraikalKaraikalKaraikal is a major port city of east coast of India and a municipality in Karaikal district in the Union Territory of Pondicherry, India. Several explanations are offered for the word 'Karaikal'. The imperial Gazetteer gives it the meaning 'fish pass'. According to Julien vinson the town is said...
- Karaikal is a port city in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. It is a former French colony. Karaikal port is also expected to provide an alternative to the Chennai and Tuticorin ports, which are the major ports in the coastline but are separated by long distance. Further, Karaikal is in the middle of the Tamil Nadu coast, midway between the two deepwater ports of Chennai and Tuticorin.
- Vedaranyam - Kodikkarai (Point Calimere) - Vedaranyam is a coastal Town of Nagai Dt. From ECR, this beautiful temple town may be reached by branching from Velankanni or from Thiruthuraipundi. Kodikkarai is a wonderland of natural resources (Deer Sanctuary, Migratory Bird watch.)
- RamanathapuramRamanathapuramRamanathapuram , also known as Ramnad, is a city and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district.-Tourism:...
- Tourists visit Ramnad to see the Raja Palace, still occupied by the former Sethupaty Raja and his family. Although no longer in power, the family contributes to the community by setting up schools and hospitals. Ramanathapuram is close to Rameshwaram and DevipattinamRamanathapuram DistrictRamanathapuram District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Ramanathapuram is the district headquarters. Ramanthapuram District has an area of 4123 km²...
, both important pilgrimage centres..
- Tuticorin - Thoothukudi (Tamil: தூத்துக்குடி), also known as Tuticorin, is a port city and a Municipal Corporation in Thoothukudi district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thoothukudi is the headquarters of Thoothukudi District.