Location

Cholamandalam Artists’ Beach Village, as the name implies, is a small beach village located 28 km from Chennai along the East Coast of India.

Historical significance

In 1966, a former principal, Dr K.C.S Panicker and his students from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai, established this village for art lovers and artists.

Tourist attractions

This village is an attraction for the tourists interested in art. They should not miss the opportunity of viewing the contemporary Indian arts and sculptures. There is a permanent exhibition and art gallery of paintings, drawings, and sculptures here. One can see the beautiful pieces of painting, pottery, weaving, and dyeing done by these artists, and the works of art are for sale. Sculptures are created by using copper, bronze, granite, and wood. Apart from this, they perform an open-air dance and drama during the festival seasons.

The beach here is less crowded than the other beaches as it is relatively an undeveloped beach, but it is majestic and elegant. Visitors to the beach have to move on to the nearby VGP Golden Beach, just 2 kilometers from here, if they are interested in entertainment and better facilities.

Specialty

Artists live close to each other here. The resources and opportunities are excellent to hone their skills and prove their talent. This is a place where international meetings of artists take place.

Best period to visit

The beach is open 24 hours a day, but the exhibition opens at 10 am and closes at 8 pm.

Access

The Cholamandalam Artists’ Beach Village is just a 30 minutes drive from the Chennai Airport. The city is well linked to all major cites of India by air, train, and bus services.

Emergency services

Lifeguard service: The beach is frequented by artists mostly, hence one may not find lifeguards at the beach.

Police service: For police emergencies, dial 100 – Police Control Room. (044) - 24491196 – Neelankarai Police Station.

Fire service: For fire emergencies, dial 101 – Fire Control Room. (04112) – 222899 - Kanchipuram Fire Station.