Marina Beach Chennai | Attractions | Activities - My Eyes Of India

Marina Beach Chennai

Marina beach is a wonderful place to visit in the evening. It is located at Chennai along the Bay of Bengal is India’s longest and world’s second longest beach. The beach runs from near Fort St. George within the north to Foreshore Estate within the south, a distance of 6.0 km (3.7 mi), making it the longest natural urban beach within the country. 

About the beach

The Marina beach is primarily sandy, unlike the short, rocky formations that structure the Juhu Beach in Mumbai. the typical width of the beach is 300 m (980 ft) and therefore the width at the widest stretch is 437 m (1,434 ft). Bathing and swimming at the Marina Beach are legally prohibited due to the risks because the undercurrent is extremely turbulent. 

It's one of the foremost crowded beaches within the country and attracts about 30,000 visitors each day during weekdays and 50,000 visitors each day during the weekends and on holidays. Around 15,000 to 20,000 people visit the beach daily, during summer months.

Image source: Flickr

Attractions in Marina beach

The aquarium and therefore the Ice House is the most attractions on the Marina beach. The Chepauk Palace, Senate House, PWD office, Presidency College, and therefore the Chennai University are historical buildings located on the beach drive.

The Victory of Labor and Gandhi are two prominent statues on the Marina beach. the opposite statues lined along this Chennai beach. It includes those of Swami Sivananda, Subramaniya Bharathiyar, Kamarajar, Avaaiyar, Thanthai Periyar, Tiruvalluvar, Dr. Annie Beasant, G.U. Pope, Sir Thomas Munro, Robert Caldwell, Kannagi, Kamarajar, M.G. Ramachandran, and Shivaji Ganesan.

Activities of Marina beach

Image source: Flickr

Marina beach is filled with activity within the early morning hours and within the evenings. Walking along the beaches during sunrise and sunset may be a pleasant experience for all. within the evening this beach becomes a good ground with numerous stalls selling artifacts, handcrafted showpieces, ethnic jewelry, and food items. Children play games and frolic around. Going into the ocean should be done under expert guidance because the undercurrent is robust. 

Popular activities on this beach are:

• Horse riding
• Flying kites
• Taking photos
• Playing games with family.

Image source: Flickr

Transportation

At the northern end of the beach, the Metropolitan Transport the corporation features a terminus called the 'Anna Square' terminus. The Triplicane Terminus near Kannagi statue/Pycrofts Road, Vivekananda House (Ice House) Terminus, and Foreshore Estate terminus. Many railway stations are there nearby the marina beach, which includes the Chepauk, the Tiruvallikeni, and therefore the Lighthouse MRTS railway stations.

Image source: Flickr

Kamaraj Salai provides a sea view ranging from the Victoria War Memorial near the Cooum River delta to the lighthouse to the south. This salai is a six-lane road and one among the arterial roads of Chennai City runs alongside the beach. The road extends further south beyond the lighthouse where it's referred to as the 'Santhome High Road', deed from the ocean but parallel to the beach till Santhome.

There was an idea to create a 9.7-km elevated road along the beach connecting the lighthouse with the East Coast Road within the south at a price of ₹ 10,000 million. However, the plan was dropped thanks to opposition from the general public like the 'Save Chennai Beaches' campaign.

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