Location

The Marina Beach is at the eastern end of the City of Chennai. The City of Chennai is the capital of the South Indian State of Tamil Nadu.

Historical significance

Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff, who was the British Governor of Madras (now known as Chennai), reconstructed the beach. He gave it the name Marina Beach. By reconstructing the beach the governor succeeded in making it a tourist attraction. Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff was the Governor of Madras between the years 1881 and 1886. On the day after Christmas of the year 2004, the Tsunami hit the beach. This Tsunami or tidal wave caused lots of damage in terms of life and property. The people living near the beach have shown great courage and are slowly coming to terms with the tragedy.

Tourist attractions

The currents here are fairly strong, so one has to exercise a great deal of caution while attempting to swim here. A majority of the visitors come here just to relax on the sands and wade in the water. At the evening time one can see families, or rather groups of families spending time on the beach. The length of the beach is around 13 km and many consider it to be the largest and the second largest in Asia and the World respectively. The longest beach in the world is the Miami Beach, Florida, in the US. If one comes to the beach early in the morning, one will have the pleasure of seeing a beautiful sunrise. This sunrise is sure to leave a mark on those who witness it.

The places of interest near the beach are the nearby lighthouse, the Aquarium, the memorials of both Mr. M.G. Ramachandran and Mr. Annadurai, former chief ministers of the state. These leaders have left their mark on the lives of the people of Tamil Nadu. Everyday a huge crowd of local people visit these memorials and pay their respects to these leaders. At the Aquarium visitors can find fishes of both the freshwater and tropical types. The Aquarium is a favorite among little children as well as grownups. One can find many small eateries here at the beach. There are other forms of entertainment like horse riding and shooting balloons available here. There are many small shops selling local handicrafts.

Those who are interested in colonial architecture can visit buildings like the Madras University and Presidency College. These buildings are near the beach. There are also statues of historical importance and great leaders of the country near the beach. A few to name are the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, who is the father of the nation, and the statue of labor.

For those who love shopping there is the Chennai Citi Center which is located near the beach. One can find lots of products here ranging from watches to clothes. The place also has different types of eateries. There is also a cinema hall here called INOX that shows films from the Hindi, Tamil, and English languages.

Specialty

Even though the beach was hit by the Tsunami on the day after Christmas in the year 2004, it has recovered its former glory within a matter of days.

Best period to visit

The months between November and February are the best months to visit the beach.

Access

There are two airports in Chennai. They are the Anna International Airport and the Kamaraj Domestic Airport. The city also has two railway stations, namely the Egmore Railway Station and Central Railway Station. There is also a port which connects the city to other parts of the world.

Emergency services

Police

100 is the emergency number for the police.

Below is the list of police stations near the beach with their contact numbers.

Marina: 24985602.

Ice House: 28524870.

Anna Square: 25362327.

Triplicane: 25365610.

Fire station

101 is the emergency number for fire.

Ambulance

102 is the emergency number for ambulance.