Marina Beach Chennai Entry Fee
- No entry fee
Marina Beach Chennai Phone
N/A
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Marina Beach Chennai Address: Triplicane, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600005, India
The mystical city of Chennai offers quaint churches, relaxing beaches, striking temples, inspiring art centres and tempting cuisines that satiate the quest of almost every traveller. This vibrant city proffers a perfect blend of ancient heritage with modern culture. It also serves as the gateway to South India which is visited by numerous tourists to explore its pulsating culture. This popular metro city boasts of some of the best beaches in the state.
Marina Beach is an invigorating landmark of Chennai that draws several visitors from across the country. Walking along the imposing shore is a common feature for the locals and frequent visitors. It is the longest natural urban beach of the country and the widest stretch of the beach is 437 m.
The whole long stretch of 12 km with turquoise waters makes Marina Beach, the second largest beach of the world and one of the top places to visit in Chennai. Tourists would be delighted viewing the waves crashing the golden sand of the dramatic beach.
One of the most photographed beaches of the city located along Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal stretches from the Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south. It is the liveliest beach during the summers when it is visited by more than 15000 to 20000 visitors every day.
Tourists also visit the beach to witness the enticing sunrise and sunset. Horseback rides are one of the key attractions which are enjoyed the most by children. Another draw of the beach is the Aquarium that exhibits varied species of fishes. Various food stalls offer different variety of food often enjoyed by the visitors.
Statues and inspiring monuments built along the beach are other noteworthy attractions. Promenade are dotted with the statues of famous personalities like Robert Caldwell, Ilango Adigal, Kannagi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda, Kamaraj, Periyar, G.U Pope and Annie Besant.
History of Marina Beach
Sir Mountstuart Grant duff, the then Governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886, was highly captivated with the wonderful beach and built a promenade along the beach which was open to the public in 1884. It was layered with soft sand and named as the Madras Marina.
It had served as the meeting place for the freedom fighters before independence. India’s first aquarium was built in the Marina Beach in 1909. Post the independence, statues of the Triumph of Labour and the statue of Mahatma Gandhi were built near the beach.
Sculpted by Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury the Triumph of Labour is an iconic sculpture that showcases four men struggling to move a rock and was installed on the Republic day in 1959. Statues of Tamil Literature personalities named Kambar, Avvaiyar, Thiruvalluvar, Subramania Bharathiyar, Veeramamunivar and Bharathidasan were erected in 1968.
Statue of the legendary women Kannagi was installed in 2006 after its removal in 2001. She was the central character of the Tamil epic Silapathikaram. Memorials in the honour of the famous politicians were also added along the beach.
Arignar Anna memorial was built in 1970 while in 1988 the Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran memorial was erected. Latest additions include the memorial of Jayalalitha and M Karunanidhi.
Opposite to the beach stand several significant buildings like Chepauk Cricket Stadium, Senate House, University of Madras, Presidency College, Vivekananda House, Queen Mary’s College and dr. Annie Besant Park.
The renowned beach has also been showcased in several movies. Madras Corporation as a major initiative of renovating the beach has made several additions in the year 2008. Fourteen galleries and a four meter internal walkway were constructed as a part of the renovation project.
Four hundred and twenty eight Octagonal poles with seagull shaped light fittings have enhanced the lighting of the beach providing better visibility of the beach during the night. A lighthouse soaring to a height of 49 m gives an opportunity to enjoy the striking views of the beach and the city.
Popular Events at Marina Beach
Numerous events like the Independence Day, Republic Day, Ganesh Chaturthi and Chennai Marathon are held at the renowned beach. The major crowd can be seen on the Kaanum Pongal day. It had also been the venue for major protests like the Jallikattu protest in 2017 and historical campaigns like the My Leader campaign launched in 2016.
Image Gallery of Marina Beach Chennai
Attractions Nearby Marina Beach
Visitors can pop into the city to explore more exciting places located near the beach like Vivekananda House, Santhome Cathedral Basilica, Connemara Library, Valluvar Kottam, Kamarajar Statue, U Pope Statue, MGR Memorial, Victory War Memorial and Fort St. George.
Marina Beach Entry Fees and Timings
There is no entry fees to be paid to visit the beach and can be visited anytime. November to February is the most preferred time period to visit the Chennai to avoid the scorching heat.
How to Reach Marina Beach
Being a metropolitan city, Chennai is accessible through all the means of transportation including air, water and land. Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore are the two major railway stations of the state capital that connects it to the different parts of the country.
Domestic airlines operate at the Kamaraj domestic terminal on a daily basis. Anna International Airport at Chennai connects the capital city to the major airports of the world. Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminal or CMBT is one of Asia’s largest bus stations and has several buses connecting all the cities of the country to Chennai.
Prepaid taxis, local buses and auto rickshaws can be hired from the railway station, airport or bus terminal to reach the beach. Getting to the beach is very easy from the Railway station as it is located just 5 km from it.
FAQ’s and General Information about Marina Beach
Why should we visit Marina Beach?
Marina is a must visit to get soaked in its pristine beauty and to witness the statues of the legendary personalities. Witnessing the sunrise and sunset is one of the most cherished memories.
When should we visit the Marina Beach?
Marina Beach can be visited throughout the year however people prefer to visit the capital city during the months of November to February to experience its cool breeze and its soothing ambiance.
