Marina Beach
Encyclopedia
Marina Beach 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 12 km (7.5 mi), making it the longest urban beach in the country and the world's second longest. 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 m (1,433.7 ft). Bathing and swimming at the Marina Beach can be dangerous as the undercurrent is very turbulent and are legally prohibited. It is the most crowded beach in the country and attracts about 30,000 visitors a day during weekdays and 50,000 visitors a day during the weekends and on holidays. During summer months, about 15,000 to 20,000 people visit the beach daily. In 2010, 18 per cent of the 5,000 respondents interviewed by the Tripadvisor Survey panned the beach as being dirty.
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, who was captivated by the beach on an earlier visit to the city, conceived and built the promenade along the beach in 1884 by extensively modifying and layering with soft sand. Grant Duff christened it the Madras Marina, on which he explains in a letter:
Ever since the harbour was built, the area south of the port has accreted significantly, forming the present day's beach mainly due to the presence of wave breakers laid for the construction of the harbour, although the coast in the northern region has undergone severe erosion
. Eventually, the north-drifting current widened the beach to its present extent. The beach was formed as a result of arresting the littoral drift by the port's breakwater
. The area of the beach is increasing 40 sq m every year due to the progradation.
The Marina used to be famed for its pristine beauty, jolly ambiance, and rich ecosystem
s. However, since the middle of the 20th century, the beach and water have become polluted
. 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 Neelankarai
section of the beach. Meiofaunal composition at the Marina Beach chiefly includes turbellarians, nematodes, polychaetes, oligochaetes, and harpacticoids
. Species of gastrotrichs are also found in the region.
In New India, the newspaper that was run by Annie Besant
, the Irish theosophist and Home Rule advocate, the beauty of Marina Beach was described back in 1914. On 6 October 1914, Anne Besant wrote,
She also added that Madras
, lovers' spot, aquarium, and the like make it a hangout for people of all ages. Kite flying and beach cricket are common sports at the beach, and there are also facilities for pony rides. The sea is generally rough and waves are strong. There are fishermen colonies present at both ends of the beach. There are also joyrides, merry-go-rounds and mini giant wheels along the stretch, although they are installed without permission from any government agency.
As part of the 'Chennai Forever' initiative by the Tamil Nadu government
, a 34 feet (10.4 m) tall, artificial waterfall was installed in September 2005 at a cost of 1.5 million. A visitor centre near the Cooum river
mouth on the Marina, similar to the Marina Barrage
Visitor Centre in Singapore
and San Antonio Visitor Center in the United States
, has been planned as part of an initiative to create awareness of the need for clean waterways.
In 2008, two floating fountains with spray height of 100 feet with colour lights for night view were planned to be installed in sea waters off the beach.
In 2010, the Chennai Corporation procured new cleaning equipments to clean the beach at a cost of 8.011 million. These included a sand-cleaning machine capable of cleaning 15,000 m2 area in an hour procured at a cost of 3.267 million, three skid steer loaders to clean narrow lanes commissioned at a cost of 2.652 million, imported lawn mower, ride-on mechanical sweeper, tree pruner and hedge trimmer. An automatic ticket-vending machine at a cost of 170,000 was also commissioned at the Marina swimming pool for managing the crowd. The corporation also planned to construct two more public conveniences at the beach. About 150 corporation staff, including a junior engineer, maintains the lawns and service lanes on the beach.
behind the Gandhi Statue which has been improved with hand rails and tiles on the periphery under the project. A total of 14 galleries with seating arrangements and a 4-m internal walkway along the sands and fountains have been created on the 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi) stretch. The 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) stretch from the Anna Square to the Lighthouse has uninterrupted pavement and a sub-road parallel to the main road. Five reverse osmosis plants capable of providing 30,000 litres of drinking water an hour free of cost to visitors is under construction. As part of the beautification project, the decade-old 250-watt lamps were replaced with 690 anti-corrosive lamps along Kamaraj Salai and the service road. The renovation was completed in 2009 at a cost of 259.2 million. Although initially the corporation planned to outsource security personnel to protect the renovated structures, the plan was dropped and about 50 corporation staff were employed to man the stretch.
In 2009, a 4.5-km-long stretch along the beach was announced plastic-free zone, prohibiting the sale and use of plastic. In November 2010, the corporation imposed a fine of 100 on the usage of plastic items that are less than 20 microns thick on the entire stretch. Within a couple of years since the ban, the use of plastics on the beach was reduced by 70 per cent.
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. While the beach stretches along the eastern side of the road, the western side is dotted with various governmental institutions and historic and stately buildings from the British rule all along its length. Victoria War Memorial, a memorial for the warriors who lost their lives in World War II
, marks the northern end of the beach. Memorials for C N Annadurai and M G Ramachandran, former Chief minister
s of Tamil Nadu
, are present on the northern end of the promenade known as the Anna Square. All along the length of the promenade, stone statues adorn the roadside area of the beach starting from the Triumph of Labour statue, the first statue erected in the beach, near the memorials at the Anna Square to Mahatma Gandhi statue near the lighthouse. Most statues are of national or local legends while others have symbolic significance like the Triumph of Labour statue. The statues along the promenade are:
On 21 July 2006, a statue of the legendary Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan
was erected at the junction of Kamarajar Salai–Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai near the lighthouse.
The other side of the road houses several historical buildings and institutions including:
Other structures along the beach include:
delta till the lighthouse to the south. The road extends further south beyond the lighthouse where it is known as the 'Santhome High Road', running away from the sea but parallel to the beach till Santhome
. The Metropolitan Transport Corporation
has a terminus called the 'Anna Square' terminus at the northern end of the beach and another named the 'Foreshore Estate' terminus. Railway stations alongside the beach include the Chepauk
, the Tiruvallikeni
and the Lighthouse MRTS railway stations.
There was a plan to build a 9.7-km elevated road along the beach connecting the lighthouse with the East Coast Road in the south at a cost of 10,000 million. However, the plan was dropped due to opposition from the public such as the 'Save Chennai Beaches' campaign.
Bathing and swimming are illegal at Marina beach since the undercurrent in the region is very strong, and there are no lifeguards stationed here. As many people throng the beach, quite often there are drowning mishaps. An estimated five sea-bathers are drowned every month at the beach, and most of the swimmers are dragged by the tides into the debris of a tramp ship SS Damatis that sank off the beach during a cyclone in 1966. Police personnel and lifeguards constantly patrol the whole area, which is divided into seventy-two sections, by means of horses and all-terrain vehicles (known as beach buggies). Five spots off the beach, including near the Anna Square, Kannagi Statue, Triumph of Labour Statue and behind Vivekananda House, have been identified by the police as extremely unsafe due to the presence of whirlpools and rock projections in the seabed
. In 2010, 75 people drowned in the sea along the 5-km stretch of the beach. Of this, the 1-km stretch from Anna Square to the Anna swimming pool is considered the most dangerous with as many as 29 persons drowning in the sea in 2010. The deep sea in this stretch is considered to still hold parts of the smacked ship. In 2011, in addition to the tie-up with Coast Guard security personnel, the city police planned for a tie-up with the fire and rescue services department to provide a stand-by rescue team at the beach to save people from drowning. The rescue team, equipped with a rubber boat and a motor-fitted boat, was planned to be stationed at the Anna Square police station or the Marina police station.
The law-enforcing agencies is planning to bring the beach under close watch by means of two watchtowers and at least a dozen surveillance cameras. The Chennai Corporation has agreed in principle to create the security infrastructure based on a proposal sent by the Greater Chennai Police
. The watchtowers are proposed to be erected behind the Triumph of Labour statue and the Gandhi statue.
Despite intensive patrolling, illegal bike races and night races are also held along the stretch, resulting in public nuisances and, at times, death of the racers.
(254 km) in Brazil
, Cox's Bazar
(120 km) in Bangladesh
, Padre Island
on the U.S. Gulf Coast, Ninety Mile Beach in Australia
and Ninety Mile Beach
(88 km) in New Zealand
. However, unlike most beaches, Marina is a sandy urban beach similar to the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro
, helping it earn the title.
In December 2001, the Kannagi statue, which was erected in 1968 on the occasion of a World Tamil Conference held in Chennai, was removed for traffic maintenance reason as part of modernisation of the beach, which led to a huge protest and demonstration by the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(DMK) party. When the DMK later came to power, the statue was installed in the same place on 3 June 2006 by the DMK party chief M. Karunanidhi
.
On 9 August 2003, an open air stage located 350 ft from the sea on the sands of the Marina called Seerani Arangam, constructed in 1970, which was used by religious groups and political parties to address gatherings, was demolished by the state government in order to modernise the beach. This spot was a place where rallies were held for the freedom movement during the British Raj, and the stage was considered a symbol of the historical events that had taken place in the Marina. This created a great controversy.
The beachfront was severely damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The tsunami
waves, caused due to an M 9.0 magnitude earthquake
at about 257 km south-southeast of Banda Aceh
, Sumatra
, Indonesia
, on the Indian Ocean
floor on 26 December 2004 at 6.20 a.m. IST, struck the beach, which is about 2028 km southeast from the epicentre, at 8.40 a.m. IST. The reported height of the tsunami waves at the beach was 6 m which washed away about 206 persons on the beach, most of whom were morning joggers and children playing cricket on the beach, including a few tourists. With the assistance of the World Bank, the government built 2,000 temporary Marina beach shelters each measuring about 250 sq.ft. to house families affected by the tsunami at a cost of 172.3 million.
As a visible change in the beach immediately after the tsunami, the intertidal area was much flatter on 27 December 2004, which usually featured a gentle slope. However, the usual slope started to appear 4 days after the tsunami and normal profile was restored in about 15 days. The receding wave after the tsunami lasted for more than 24 h. Post tsunami, there was a distinct variation in the distribution of sand grains in the beach until the 4th day. However, from the 5th day after the tsunami, normal composition of sand grains appeared to have been restored at different depths. The tsunami also resulted in various geomorphological changes in the region such as those in the contour of the 2,000 km-long Burma plate, which sits atop the India plate, resulting in a rise in the land level of Chennai, ranging between 0.5 cm and 3 cm.
Following the tsunami, there was a distinct increase in the meiofaunal density in the beach. Various meiofauna found in the beach after tsunami include foraminiferans (Elphidium sp.), cnidarians (Halammohydra sp., Psammohydra sp.), turbellarians (Otoplana sp., Macrostomum sp.), nemertines, nematodes (Halalaimus setosus, Desmodora sp., Chromadora sp., Sabatieria sp., Steineria sp., Metapselionema sp.), gastrotrichs (Chaetonotus sp., Thaumastoderma sp.), rotifers, kinorhynchs (Cateria sp.), polychaetes (Hesionides sp.), archiannelids
(Polygordius madrasensis, Saccocirrus minor), oligochaetes (Marionina sp.), harpacticiod
copepods (Arenosetella indica, Psammastacus acuticaudatus, Leptastacus euryhalinus, Emertonia minuta, Sewellina reductus), ostracods (Polycope sp.), isopods (Angeliera phreaticola), halacarids (Halacarus sp.), insects, and various other species.
Being the most prominent open space in the city, the Marina Beach hosts several events throughout the year. The annual Independence Day
and the Republic Day
ceremonial parades and airshows are held along the promenade along with the unfurling of the national flag in the Marina. The annual idol-immersion event following the Hindu
festival of Vinayaka Chathurthi takes place at the beach where most of the idols of Lord Ganesh kept on display during the festival in the city is immersed into the sea. The event occurs in the month of August-September. The beach is also the venue for several marathon and walkathon campaigns throughout the year conducted for various cause.
The annual Chennai Marathon
is held in the beach starting from the Anna Square to Annai Velankanni Church on the Elliot's Beach
in Besant Nagar
. It is India's biggest city marathon
and is also said to be South India's richest marathon, in which over 1,000 athletes and more than a million people participate, which includes various categories such as a 21-km run for professional athletes, a city run for everybody, a junior run for children, a master's run for senior citizens and a wheelchair run for the disabled.
In 2008, the beach played host to India's first International Beach Volleyball Championship, BSNL FIVB Chennai Challenger:2008, from July 15 to 20 to popularize beach volleyball
. The event was organized by the Beach Volleyball Club and was sponsored by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
. Eleven Indian teams along with 60 teams from 21 countries participated in the 6-day-long tournament offering a total prize money of US$40,000 in the men's and US$6,400 in the women's events.
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...
(Madras), 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...
, along 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...
, part of the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar
Besant Nagar
Besant Nagar is one of Chennai's well known neighbourhoods, named after the famous lady theosophist Annie Besant, and adjoins the Theosophical Society. The Theosophical Society Headquarters is located here. It was founded in 1875, and is a worldwide body whose primary objective is Universal...
in the south, a distance of 12 km (7.5 mi), making it the longest urban beach in the country and the world's second longest. The Marina is primarily sandy, unlike the short, rocky formations that make up the Juhu Beach in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. The width of the beach at the widest stretch is 437 m (1,433.7 ft). Bathing and swimming at the Marina Beach can be dangerous as the undercurrent is very turbulent and are legally prohibited. It is the most crowded beach in the country and attracts about 30,000 visitors a day during weekdays and 50,000 visitors a day during the weekends and on holidays. During summer months, about 15,000 to 20,000 people visit the beach daily. In 2010, 18 per cent of the 5,000 respondents interviewed by the Tripadvisor Survey panned the beach as being dirty.
History
Before the Madras harbourChennai Port
Chennai Port , formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest port of India, behind the Mumbai Port, and the largest port in the Bay of Bengal. Being the third oldest port among the 12 major ports of India, it is over 125 years old, although maritime trade started way back in 1639 on the sea...
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
Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff
Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff GCSI, CIE, PC FRS , known as M. E. Grant Duff before 1887 and as Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff thereafter, was a Scottish politician, administrator and author...
, the governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886, who was captivated by the beach on an earlier visit to the city, conceived and built the promenade along the beach in 1884 by extensively modifying and layering with soft sand. Grant Duff christened it the Madras Marina, on which he explains in a letter:
Ever since the harbour was built, the area south of the port has accreted significantly, forming the present day's beach mainly due to the presence of wave breakers laid for the construction of the harbour, although the coast in the northern region has undergone severe erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
. Eventually, the north-drifting current widened the beach to its present extent. The beach was formed as a result of arresting the littoral drift by the port's breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
. The area of the beach is increasing 40 sq m every year due to the progradation.
The Marina used to be famed for its pristine beauty, jolly ambiance, and rich ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s. However, since the middle of the 20th century, the beach and water have become polluted
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
. 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
Olive Ridley
The olive ridley sea turtle , also known as the Pacific ridley, is a species of sea turtle.- Description :The olive ridley is a small extant sea turtle, with an adult carapace length averaging 60 to 70 cm 1...
turtle nests along the Neelankarai
Neelankarai
Neelangarai is a census town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Neelangkarai had a population of 15,688. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Neelangkarai has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average...
section of the beach. Meiofaunal composition at the Marina Beach chiefly includes turbellarians, nematodes, polychaetes, oligochaetes, and harpacticoids
Harpacticoida
Harpacticoida is an order of copepods, in the Subphylum Crustacea. This order comprises 463 genera and about 3,000 species. Members of it are benthic copepods found throughout the world in the marine environment and in fresh water...
. Species of gastrotrichs are also found in the region.
In New India, the newspaper that was run by Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...
, the Irish theosophist and Home Rule advocate, the beauty of Marina Beach was described back in 1914. On 6 October 1914, Anne Besant wrote,
She also added that Madras
Attractions and activities
Marina beach is a major tourist attraction of the city. People visiting Chennai make a point to visit the beach. It is also the main place for the local people to escape from the summer heat. The beach is popular for its shops and food stalls run by about 500-odd vendors. The memorials and statues, morning walk, joggers' trackOceanway
An oceanway is a form of foreshoreway that provides sustainable public access along an oceanfront area. The terminology was derived to avoid the perception of a pavement favouring either pedestrians or cyclists ....
, lovers' spot, aquarium, and the like make it a hangout for people of all ages. Kite flying and beach cricket are common sports at the beach, and there are also facilities for pony rides. The sea is generally rough and waves are strong. There are fishermen colonies present at both ends of the beach. There are also joyrides, merry-go-rounds and mini giant wheels along the stretch, although they are installed without permission from any government agency.
Government of Tamil Nadu
The Government of Tamil Nadu, headquartered at Chennai is the governing authority for the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at the Fort St. George...
, a 34 feet (10.4 m) tall, artificial waterfall was installed in September 2005 at a cost of 1.5 million. A visitor centre near the Cooum river
Cooum River
The Cooum River , is an urban river which ends in the city of Chennai draining into the Bay of Bengal. Along with the Adyar River running parallel to the south, the river trifurcates the city and separates Northern Chennai from Central Chennai.The name of Cooum appears to be derived from Tamil...
mouth on the Marina, similar to the Marina Barrage
Marina Barrage
The Marina Barrage is a dam in Singapore built across the mouth of the bay, between Marina East and Marina South. It was officially opened on 1 November 2008[1]...
Visitor Centre in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and San Antonio Visitor Center in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, has been planned as part of an initiative to create awareness of the need for clean waterways.
In 2008, two floating fountains with spray height of 100 feet with colour lights for night view were planned to be installed in sea waters off the beach.
In 2010, the Chennai Corporation procured new cleaning equipments to clean the beach at a cost of 8.011 million. These included a sand-cleaning machine capable of cleaning 15,000 m2 area in an hour procured at a cost of 3.267 million, three skid steer loaders to clean narrow lanes commissioned at a cost of 2.652 million, imported lawn mower, ride-on mechanical sweeper, tree pruner and hedge trimmer. An automatic ticket-vending machine at a cost of 170,000 was also commissioned at the Marina swimming pool for managing the crowd. The corporation also planned to construct two more public conveniences at the beach. About 150 corporation staff, including a junior engineer, maintains the lawns and service lanes on the beach.
Renovation
In February 2008, the Chennai Corporation, previously known as The Madras Corporation, took up the Marina Renovation Project with improved landscaping, seating arrangements, walkways, and lighting along the promenade, and architectural elements such as plazas, gazeboes, and pergolas were installed all along the stretch including 4 m-wide non-slippery granite footpaths near the service lane, another 5 m-wide footpath, and 15 m-wide lawns. The blueprint of the renovation project included ornamental fountains, exclusive parking lots for two- and four-wheelers, a children's play area, bus shelters, ramps for physically challenged, and food courts. The whole length of the stretch from Triumph of Labour Statue to the Lighthouse measuring 3.1 km has been divided into 14 harmonious landscaped galleries dotting its span, each with an element of drama attached to the design in the form of small theatre-type galleries where visitors can sit. All the 14 sections vary significantly from one another and were designed in such a way as to the differentiation of sections not leading to any break in the walkway, which is a continuous walking stretch from the Triumph of Labour Statue to the Kamaraj Statue. One of these galleries is flanked by two semi-circular stainless-steel pergolas resting on wire-cut brick columns. The galleries can accommodate over 1,000 people. The choice of natural stones and pillars used in each section of the promenade was based on the type of the buildings on the other side of the road. The walkway was designed as low-lying as is necessary to have a clear view of the beach from the road. A total of 428 octagonal poles with seagull-shaped light fittings and additional high-mast lamps have been erected. Ten modern stainless steel bus shelters have been erected near the beach. There is a skating rinkRoller rink
A roller rink is a hard surface used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, and recreational skating...
behind the Gandhi Statue which has been improved with hand rails and tiles on the periphery under the project. A total of 14 galleries with seating arrangements and a 4-m internal walkway along the sands and fountains have been created on the 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi) stretch. The 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) stretch from the Anna Square to the Lighthouse has uninterrupted pavement and a sub-road parallel to the main road. Five reverse osmosis plants capable of providing 30,000 litres of drinking water an hour free of cost to visitors is under construction. As part of the beautification project, the decade-old 250-watt lamps were replaced with 690 anti-corrosive lamps along Kamaraj Salai and the service road. The renovation was completed in 2009 at a cost of 259.2 million. Although initially the corporation planned to outsource security personnel to protect the renovated structures, the plan was dropped and about 50 corporation staff were employed to man the stretch.
In 2009, a 4.5-km-long stretch along the beach was announced plastic-free zone, prohibiting the sale and use of plastic. In November 2010, the corporation imposed a fine of 100 on the usage of plastic items that are less than 20 microns thick on the entire stretch. Within a couple of years since the ban, the use of plastics on the beach was reduced by 70 per cent.
Structures along the beach
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, marks the northern end of the beach. Memorials for C N Annadurai and M G Ramachandran, former Chief minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
s of Tamil Nadu
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...
, are present on the northern end of the promenade known as the Anna Square. All along the length of the promenade, stone statues adorn the roadside area of the beach starting from the Triumph of Labour statue, the first statue erected in the beach, near the memorials at the Anna Square to Mahatma Gandhi statue near the lighthouse. Most statues are of national or local legends while others have symbolic significance like the Triumph of Labour statue. The statues along the promenade are:
- Triumph of Labour (erected on 25 January 1959)
- Thiruvalluvar
- Robert CaldwellRobert CaldwellBishop Robert Caldwell was an Evangelist missionary and linguist, who academically established the Dravidian family of languages. He served as Assistant Bishop of Tirunelveli from 1877. He was described in The Hindu as a 'pioneering champion of the downtrodden' and an 'avant-garde social reformer'...
- Constanzo BeschiConstanzo BeschiConstanzo Beschi, also known under his Tamil name of Vīramāmunivar or Constantine Joseph Beschi was an Italian Jesuit priest, Missionary in South India, and renowned poet in the Tamil language.-Early years and formation:Born in Castiglione delle Stiviere, Mantova, Italy, a place very close to...
(Veerama Munivar) (erected on 2 January 1968) - Subramaniya Barathiyar
- Subhash Chandra BoseSubhash Chandra BoseSubhas Chandra Bose known by name Netaji was an Indian revolutionary who led an Indian national political and military force against Britain and the Western powers during World War II. Bose was one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian independence movement and is a legendary figure in...
- George Uglow PopeGeorge Uglow PopeGeorge Uglow Pope popularly known as Rev. G.U. Pope or G.U. Pope was a Christian missionary who spent many years in Tamil Nadu and translated many Tamil texts into English. His popular translations include Tirukkural and Tiruvachagam. His efforts were recognized by the Royal Asiatic Society in the...
(erected on 2 January 1968) - Annie BesantAnnie BesantAnnie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...
- BharathidasanBharathidasanBharathidasan was a twentieth century Tamil poet and rationalist whose literary works handled mostly socio-political issues. His writings served as a catalyst for the growth of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu...
- Kamarajar
- AvvaiyarAvvaiyarThe Avvaiyars "respectable women" was the title of more than one poet who was active during different periods of Tamil literature. The Avvaiyar were some of the most famous and important female poets of the Tamil canon. Abithana Chintamani states that there were three female poets titled...
(erected on 2 January 1968) - Thanthai Periyar
- KannagiKannagiKannagi or , a legendary Tamil woman, is the central character of the South Indian epic Silapathikaram. Legend states that Kannagi took revenge on the King of Madurai, for a mistaken death penalty imposed on her husband Kovalan, by cursing the city with disaster.-The story:Kovalan, the son of a...
(erected in 1968/re-erected in 2006) - Swami VivekanandaSwami VivekanandaSwami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
(erected on 12 July 1964) - Mahatma GandhiMahatma GandhiMohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
(erected on 14 April 1959)
On 21 July 2006, a statue of the legendary Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan
Sivaji Ganesan
Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan Manrayar , commonly known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan , was an Indian stage and film actor active during the latter half of the 20th century. He is one of the most respected film actors in India. He is well known for his versatility and acting skills with...
was erected at the junction of Kamarajar Salai–Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai near the lighthouse.
- M.A.Chidambaram Cricket Stadium, Chepauk (Chennai)M. A. Chidambaram StadiumThe M. A. Chidambaram Stadium is a cricket stadium in Chennai , India, named after M. A. Chidambaram, the former President of BCCI and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. The stadium was formerly known as Madras Cricket Club Ground or Chepauk Stadium. Commonly known as Chepauk, its first match was...
- University of MadrasUniversity of MadrasThe University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
–Chepauk Campus - Public Works Department (PWD) Complex
- Presidency CollegePresidency College, ChennaiPresidency College is an arts, law and science college in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. Established as the Madras Preparatory School on October 15, 1840 and later, upgraded to a high school and then, graduate college, the Presidency College is one of the oldest government arts colleges...
- University of MadrasUniversity of MadrasThe University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
–Marina Campus - Vivekananda House
- Lady Wellington School
- Queen Mary's College
- Inspector General of Police Headquarters
- Forensic Science Department
- All India RadioAll India RadioAll India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
, Chennai
Other structures along the beach include:
- Anna Swimming Pool
- Marina Swimming Pool
- Aquarium
- Marina Cricket Ground
- Dr. Annie Besant Park
Transportation
Kamarajar Salai, a six-lane road and one of the arterial roads of Chennai City, runs alongside the beach providing a sea view starting from the Victoria War Memorial near the Cooum RiverCooum River
The Cooum River , is an urban river which ends in the city of Chennai draining into the Bay of Bengal. Along with the Adyar River running parallel to the south, the river trifurcates the city and separates Northern Chennai from Central Chennai.The name of Cooum appears to be derived from Tamil...
delta till the lighthouse to the south. The road extends further south beyond the lighthouse where it is known as the 'Santhome High Road', running away from the sea but parallel to the beach till Santhome
Santhome
-History:The word Santhome or San Thome is derived from Saint Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. The local Christian belief is that the apostle came to India in A.D.52, was martyred in A.D.72 at St.Thomas Mount in the City and was interred in Mylapore. A church was built over his...
. The Metropolitan Transport Corporation
Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai)
- External links :* * * *...
has a terminus called the 'Anna Square' terminus at the northern end of the beach and another named the 'Foreshore Estate' terminus. Railway stations alongside the beach include the Chepauk
Chepauk
Chepauk is a locality in Chennai , in India. The name Chepauk is popularly used to refer to the M. A. Chidambaram International Cricket Stadium also known as Chepauk Stadium. It is also home to the Chepauk palace, built in the Indo-Saracenic style...
, the Tiruvallikeni
Triplicane
Triplicane also has the famous powerful Ellamman temple in SMV Koil street. A beautiful Sundaramurthy Vinayagar temple is right opposite to the Ellamman Temple....
and the Lighthouse MRTS railway stations.
There was a plan to build a 9.7-km elevated road along the beach connecting the lighthouse with the East Coast Road in the south at a cost of 10,000 million. However, the plan was dropped due to opposition from the public such as the 'Save Chennai Beaches' campaign.
Safety and security measures and policing
Seabed
The seabed is the bottom of the ocean.- Ocean structure :Most of the oceans have a common structure, created by common physical phenomena, mainly from tectonic movement, and sediment from various sources...
. In 2010, 75 people drowned in the sea along the 5-km stretch of the beach. Of this, the 1-km stretch from Anna Square to the Anna swimming pool is considered the most dangerous with as many as 29 persons drowning in the sea in 2010. The deep sea in this stretch is considered to still hold parts of the smacked ship. In 2011, in addition to the tie-up with Coast Guard security personnel, the city police planned for a tie-up with the fire and rescue services department to provide a stand-by rescue team at the beach to save people from drowning. The rescue team, equipped with a rubber boat and a motor-fitted boat, was planned to be stationed at the Anna Square police station or the Marina police station.
The law-enforcing agencies is planning to bring the beach under close watch by means of two watchtowers and at least a dozen surveillance cameras. The Chennai Corporation has agreed in principle to create the security infrastructure based on a proposal sent by the Greater Chennai Police
Greater Chennai Police
The Chennai Police, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency for the city of Chennai in India and the surrounding area. The city police force is headed by a Commissioner of Police and the administrative control vests with the Tamil Nadu Home ministry. There are thirty...
. The watchtowers are proposed to be erected behind the Triumph of Labour statue and the Gandhi statue.
Despite intensive patrolling, illegal bike races and night races are also held along the stretch, resulting in public nuisances and, at times, death of the racers.
Controversies
With a length of 12 km, including a 6 km promenade, the Marina is considered the world's second longest urban beach, although there exist in fact several longer beaches, including Praia do CassinoPraia do Cassino
Praia do Cassino is located adjacent to the city of Rio Grande, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is commonly known in Brazil as the longest beach in the world , stretching from the Molhes in Cassino beach to nearly Chuí, on...
(254 km) in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Cox's Bazar
Cox's Bazar
Cox's Bazar is a town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide sandy beach which is the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. It is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is located 150 km south of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar...
(120 km) in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Padre Island
Padre Island
Padre Island is part of the U.S. state of Texas. The island is located on Texas' southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is famous for its white sandy beaches at the south end...
on the U.S. Gulf Coast, Ninety Mile Beach in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Ninety Mile Beach
Ninety Mile Beach, New Zealand
Ninety Mile Beach is a beach located on the western coast of the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It stretches from just west of Kaitaia towards Cape Reinga along the Aupouri Peninsula. It begins close to the headland of Reef Point, to the west of Ahipara Bay, sweeping briefly...
(88 km) in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. However, unlike most beaches, Marina is a sandy urban beach similar to the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, helping it earn the title.
In December 2001, the Kannagi statue, which was erected in 1968 on the occasion of a World Tamil Conference held in Chennai, was removed for traffic maintenance reason as part of modernisation of the beach, which led to a huge protest and demonstration by the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by Periyar...
(DMK) party. When the DMK later came to power, the statue was installed in the same place on 3 June 2006 by the DMK party chief M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
.
On 9 August 2003, an open air stage located 350 ft from the sea on the sands of the Marina called Seerani Arangam, constructed in 1970, which was used by religious groups and political parties to address gatherings, was demolished by the state government in order to modernise the beach. This spot was a place where rallies were held for the freedom movement during the British Raj, and the stage was considered a symbol of the historical events that had taken place in the Marina. This created a great controversy.
Incidents
In 1966, a tramp ship SS Damatis sank near the Marina due to a cyclone in the region.Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
waves, caused due to an M 9.0 magnitude earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
at about 257 km south-southeast of Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh is the provincial capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia, located on the island of Sumatra, with an elevation of 35 meters. The city regency covers an area of 64 square kilometres and according to the 2000 census had a population of 219,070 people...
, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, on the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
floor on 26 December 2004 at 6.20 a.m. IST, struck the beach, which is about 2028 km southeast from the epicentre, at 8.40 a.m. IST. The reported height of the tsunami waves at the beach was 6 m which washed away about 206 persons on the beach, most of whom were morning joggers and children playing cricket on the beach, including a few tourists. With the assistance of the World Bank, the government built 2,000 temporary Marina beach shelters each measuring about 250 sq.ft. to house families affected by the tsunami at a cost of 172.3 million.
As a visible change in the beach immediately after the tsunami, the intertidal area was much flatter on 27 December 2004, which usually featured a gentle slope. However, the usual slope started to appear 4 days after the tsunami and normal profile was restored in about 15 days. The receding wave after the tsunami lasted for more than 24 h. Post tsunami, there was a distinct variation in the distribution of sand grains in the beach until the 4th day. However, from the 5th day after the tsunami, normal composition of sand grains appeared to have been restored at different depths. The tsunami also resulted in various geomorphological changes in the region such as those in the contour of the 2,000 km-long Burma plate, which sits atop the India plate, resulting in a rise in the land level of Chennai, ranging between 0.5 cm and 3 cm.
Following the tsunami, there was a distinct increase in the meiofaunal density in the beach. Various meiofauna found in the beach after tsunami include foraminiferans (Elphidium sp.), cnidarians (Halammohydra sp., Psammohydra sp.), turbellarians (Otoplana sp., Macrostomum sp.), nemertines, nematodes (Halalaimus setosus, Desmodora sp., Chromadora sp., Sabatieria sp., Steineria sp., Metapselionema sp.), gastrotrichs (Chaetonotus sp., Thaumastoderma sp.), rotifers, kinorhynchs (Cateria sp.), polychaetes (Hesionides sp.), archiannelids
Haplodrili
Haplodrili, or Archiannelida, is a primitive marine worm part of the annelid phylum. Zoologist Ray Lankester gave it its name of Haplodrili, while zoologist Berthold Hatschek named it Archiannelida...
(Polygordius madrasensis, Saccocirrus minor), oligochaetes (Marionina sp.), harpacticiod
Harpacticoida
Harpacticoida is an order of copepods, in the Subphylum Crustacea. This order comprises 463 genera and about 3,000 species. Members of it are benthic copepods found throughout the world in the marine environment and in fresh water...
copepods (Arenosetella indica, Psammastacus acuticaudatus, Leptastacus euryhalinus, Emertonia minuta, Sewellina reductus), ostracods (Polycope sp.), isopods (Angeliera phreaticola), halacarids (Halacarus sp.), insects, and various other species.
Events
Independence Day (India)
The Independence Day of India is celebrated on the fifteenth of August to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in...
and the Republic Day
Republic Day (India)
The Republic Day of India commemorates the date on which the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950....
ceremonial parades and airshows are held along the promenade along with the unfurling of the national flag in the Marina. The annual idol-immersion event following the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
festival of Vinayaka Chathurthi takes place at the beach where most of the idols of Lord Ganesh kept on display during the festival in the city is immersed into the sea. The event occurs in the month of August-September. The beach is also the venue for several marathon and walkathon campaigns throughout the year conducted for various cause.
The annual Chennai Marathon
Chennai Marathon
The Chennai Marathon is an annual marathon in Chennai, India. The event is jointly organized by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu and Rotary International....
is held in the beach starting from the Anna Square to Annai Velankanni Church on the Elliot's Beach
Elliot's beach
Elliot's Beach or "Besant Nagar Beach" ' is located in Besant Nagar, Chennai, India. It forms the end-point of the Marina Beach shore and is named after Edward Elliot, Governor of Madras. It has the Velankanni Church and the Ashtalakshmi Kovil nearby and is sometimes nicknamed 'Bessie'...
in Besant Nagar
Besant Nagar
Besant Nagar is one of Chennai's well known neighbourhoods, named after the famous lady theosophist Annie Besant, and adjoins the Theosophical Society. The Theosophical Society Headquarters is located here. It was founded in 1875, and is a worldwide body whose primary objective is Universal...
. It is India's biggest city marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
and is also said to be South India's richest marathon, in which over 1,000 athletes and more than a million people participate, which includes various categories such as a 21-km run for professional athletes, a city run for everybody, a junior run for children, a master's run for senior citizens and a wheelchair run for the disabled.
In 2008, the beach played host to India's first International Beach Volleyball Championship, BSNL FIVB Chennai Challenger:2008, from July 15 to 20 to popularize beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
. The event was organized by the Beach Volleyball Club and was sponsored by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is a state-owned telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is the largest provider of fixed telephony and fourth largest mobile telephony provider in India, and is also a provider of broadband services...
. Eleven Indian teams along with 60 teams from 21 countries participated in the 6-day-long tournament offering a total prize money of US$40,000 in the men's and US$6,400 in the women's events.
See also
- Elliot's BeachElliot's beachElliot's Beach or "Besant Nagar Beach" ' is located in Besant Nagar, Chennai, India. It forms the end-point of the Marina Beach shore and is named after Edward Elliot, Governor of Madras. It has the Velankanni Church and the Ashtalakshmi Kovil nearby and is sometimes nicknamed 'Bessie'...
- Golden BeachGolden Beach, ChennaiGolden beach is a beach located on the Bay of Bengal in Chennai, India. VGP Golden Beach is a major tourist attraction in Chennai. It is situated on the East Coast Road, the seaside road from Chennai to Cuddalore via Pondicherry....
- List of beaches in India