Marina Beach
Marina Beach is a natural urban beach in the city of Chennai, India, along the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean.[1] The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south, a distance of 13 km (8.1 mi),[2] making it the longest natural urban beach in the country[3] and the world's second longest.[4][5][6] The Marina is primarily sandy, unlike the short, rocky formations that make up the Juhu Beach in Mumbai. The average width of the beach is 300 m (980 ft)[7] and the width at the widest stretch is 437 m (1,434 ft). Bathing and swimming at the Marina Beach are legally prohibited because of the dangers, as the undercurrent is very turbulent. It is the most crowded beach in the country and attracts about 30,000 visitors a day during weekdays[8] and 50,000 visitors a day during the weekends and on holidays.[9][10][11] During summer months, about 15,000 to 20,000 people visit the beach daily.[12] In 2010, 72 percent of the 5,000 respondents interviewed by the Tripadvisor Survey panned the beach as being clean.[13] Contents 1 History 2 Ecology 2.1 Environment 2.2 Flora and fauna 3 Attractions and activities 4 Structures along the beach 5 Renovation 6 Safety measures and policing 7 Controversies 8 Incidents 9 Events 10 Transportation 11 Legacy 12 In popular culture 13 See also 14 References 15 External links History The beach promenade in 1913 C. N. Annadurai's Memorial MGR Memorial Before the 16th century, there were frequent incidents of inundation of lands near the coast due to rise in sea level. When the sea withdrew, several ridges and lagoons were left behind. On the southern side of Fort St. George, one such sand ridge ran from the mouth of the Cooum to the present site of the Presidency College. On the rear side of the ridge was a huge depression on which the college grounds were later developed. The ridge is the site of the present-day beach.[14] When Fort St. George was built in 1640, the sea was too close to the fort. The building of the harbour near the fort resulted in sand accretion to the south of the fort and the harbour and the sea, which was washing the ramparts of the fort, moved afar at about 2.5 km away from the fort creating a wide beach between the land and the sea.[14] Before the Madras harbour was built, the 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 harbour 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 in the late 1870s,[15][16] conceived and built the promenade along the beach in 1884 by extensively modifying and layering with soft sand. He also christened it the Madras Marina in the same year.[15][16] Since the early 19th century, a number of public buildings were constructed fronting the beach.[14] 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.[17] 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.[18][19] The area of the beach is increasing 40 sq m every year due to progradation.[4] Since the creation of the promenade in 1884, there were several additions along the stretch. The country's first aquarium was established as one of the first additions in 1909. Shortly after the Independence, the Triumph of Labour statue (reminiscent of the famous World War II photograph of the American Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima) and the Gandhi statue in 'march to Dandi' stride, which has been duplicated on the lawns of the Parliament House, were erected on the beach. Both the statues were sculpted by Debi Roy Chowdhury, an artist who at the age of 30 became the first Indian Principal of the Madras School of Arts and Crafts. In 1968, a number of statues of icons of Tamil Literature was erected to mark the first World Tamil Conference, including Avvaiyar, Tiruvalluvar, Kambar, Subramania Bharathiyar, Bharathidasan and the Europeans Bishop Caldwell, G.U. Pope and Fr. Beschi (Veeramunivar). Anna Samadhi (memorial) was built in 1970 and the MGR Samadhi in 1988, shortening the stretch at its northern end. More recent additions include the statues of Kamaraj and Shivaji Ganesan.[15][20] Ecology Environment The Marina used to be famed for its pristine beauty, jolly ambiance, and rich ecosystems.[21] However, since the middle of the 20th century, the beach and water have become polluted.[22] Proliferation of plastic bags, human waste, and other pollutants have rendered many parts of the beach unusable. In recent years, many voluntary organisations 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.[23][24] Flora and fauna Marina Beach lies on the stretch of coast where olive ridley sea turtles, a species classified as Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 (critically endangered), nest during mating season, chiefly between late October and April peaking from mid-January to mid-February.[25] The Ennore–Mamallapuram zone,[25] on which the beach lies, is one of the three major nesting grounds on the Indian coast.[26] However, with the expansion of the shrimp trawling fishery in the eastern coast of India in the mid-1970s, several individuals of the species are washed ashore dead every year.[23][26][27] The eggs laid by the females along the beach are also sold in the local market by the fishermen and traders.[25] In 1977, a recovery programme was started by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.[25] Many volunteer organisations in the city, such as the Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network and the Sea Turtle Protection Force of the TREE Foundation, get involved in conservation of the species along the coast.[23][28] Meiofaunal composition at the Marina Beach chiefly includes turbellarians, nematodes, polychaetes, oligochaetes, and harpacticoids.[29] Species of gastrotrichs are also found in the region. Attractions and activities The Rock Fountain 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.[11] The beach is popular for its shops and food stalls run by about 500 shops run by about 1,212 vendors.[30][31] The memorials and statues, morning walk, joggers' track, 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. Beach cricket at the Marina dates back several decades. However, Chennai City Police has banned it at different points due to its interference with traffic and beach walkers.[32] 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.[33] Fishing nets on the beach There are two swimming pools along the stretch—the Marina swimming pool and the Anna swimming pool. The Marina swimming pool was built in 1947 and is located opposite the Presidency College. The pool is 100 m long and 30 m wide, bigger than the standard Olympic pool size of 50 m × 25 m and is 3 ft to 5.5 ft deep. It is maintained by Corporation of Chennai. It underwent renovation in 1994 and 2004. The Anna swimming pool is located opposite the clock tower building of the University of Madras and virtually remains hidden behind the Anna Square bus terminus. The pool is said to be the first Olympic size pool to be built in Tamil Nadu. It was constructed in 1976 with a diving board. However, the diving board was removed later during a renovation. The pool is 4 ft to 11 ft deep. It also has a toddler pool that is 2.5 ft. Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) conducts regular coaching camps at the pool.[34] The oval-shaped skating arena at the beach has an outer railing and standing area for people to watch from.[34] As part of the 'Chennai Forever' initiative by the Tamil Nadu government, a 34-foot (10 m) tall, artificial waterfall was installed in September 2005 at a cost of INR 1.5 million.[35] 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.[36] 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.[37] In 2010, the Chennai Corporation procured new cleaning equipments to clean the beach at a cost of INR 8.011 million. These included a sand-cleaning machine capable of cleaning 15,000 m2 area in an hour procured at a cost of INR 3.267 million, three skid steer loaders to clean narrow lanes commissioned at a cost of INR 2.652 million, imported lawn mower, ride-on mechanical sweeper, tree pruner and hedge trimmer. An automatic ticket-vending machine at a cost of INR 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.[38] About 150 corporation staff, including a junior engineer, maintains the lawns and service lanes on the beach.[31] Structures along the beach The PWD Complex 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. Victory War Memorial, a memorial for the warriors who lost their lives in the World Wars, marks the northern end of the beach. Memorials for C N Annadurai and M G Ramachandran, former Chief ministers 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 (from north to south):[20][39] Robert Caldwell (erected on 2 January 1968)
Marina Beach is a natural urban beach in the city of Chennai, India, along the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean.[1] The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south, a distance of 13 km (8.1 mi),[2] making it the longest natural urban beach in the country[3] and the world's second longest.[4][5][6] The Marina is primarily sandy, unlike the short, rocky formations that make up the Juhu Beach in Mumbai. The average width of the beach is 300 m (980 ft)[7] and the width at the widest stretch is 437 m (1,434 ft). Bathing and swimming at the Marina Beach are legally prohibited because of the dangers, as the undercurrent is very turbulent. It is the most crowded beach in the country and attracts about 30,000 visitors a day during weekdays[8] and 50,000 visitors a day during the weekends and on holidays.[9][10][11] During summer months, about 15,000 to 20,000 people visit the beach daily.[12] In 2010, 72 percent of the 5,000 respondents interviewed by the Tripadvisor Survey panned the beach as being clean.[13] Contents 1 History 2 Ecology 2.1 Environment 2.2 Flora and fauna 3 Attractions and activities 4 Structures along the beach 5 Renovation 6 Safety measures and policing 7 Controversies 8 Incidents 9 Events 10 Transportation 11 Legacy 12 In popular culture 13 See also 14 References 15 External links History The beach promenade in 1913 C. N. Annadurai's Memorial MGR Memorial Before the 16th century, there were frequent incidents of inundation of lands near the coast due to rise in sea level. When the sea withdrew, several ridges and lagoons were left behind. On the southern side of Fort St. George, one such sand ridge ran from the mouth of the Cooum to the present site of the Presidency College. On the rear side of the ridge was a huge depression on which the college grounds were later developed. The ridge is the site of the present-day beach.[14] When Fort St. George was built in 1640, the sea was too close to the fort. The building of the harbour near the fort resulted in sand accretion to the south of the fort and the harbour and the sea, which was washing the ramparts of the fort, moved afar at about 2.5 km away from the fort creating a wide beach between the land and the sea.[14] Before the Madras harbour was built, the 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 harbour 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 in the late 1870s,[15][16] conceived and built the promenade along the beach in 1884 by extensively modifying and layering with soft sand. He also christened it the Madras Marina in the same year.[15][16] Since the early 19th century, a number of public buildings were constructed fronting the beach.[14] 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.[17] 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.[18][19] The area of the beach is increasing 40 sq m every year due to progradation.[4] Since the creation of the promenade in 1884, there were several additions along the stretch. The country's first aquarium was established as one of the first additions in 1909. Shortly after the Independence, the Triumph of Labour statue (reminiscent of the famous World War II photograph of the American Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima) and the Gandhi statue in 'march to Dandi' stride, which has been duplicated on the lawns of the Parliament House, were erected on the beach. Both the statues were sculpted by Debi Roy Chowdhury, an artist who at the age of 30 became the first Indian Principal of the Madras School of Arts and Crafts. In 1968, a number of statues of icons of Tamil Literature was erected to mark the first World Tamil Conference, including Avvaiyar, Tiruvalluvar, Kambar, Subramania Bharathiyar, Bharathidasan and the Europeans Bishop Caldwell, G.U. Pope and Fr. Beschi (Veeramunivar). Anna Samadhi (memorial) was built in 1970 and the MGR Samadhi in 1988, shortening the stretch at its northern end. More recent additions include the statues of Kamaraj and Shivaji Ganesan.[15][20] Ecology Environment The Marina used to be famed for its pristine beauty, jolly ambiance, and rich ecosystems.[21] However, since the middle of the 20th century, the beach and water have become polluted.[22] Proliferation of plastic bags, human waste, and other pollutants have rendered many parts of the beach unusable. In recent years, many voluntary organisations 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.[23][24] Flora and fauna Marina Beach lies on the stretch of coast where olive ridley sea turtles, a species classified as Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 (critically endangered), nest during mating season, chiefly between late October and April peaking from mid-January to mid-February.[25] The Ennore–Mamallapuram zone,[25] on which the beach lies, is one of the three major nesting grounds on the Indian coast.[26] However, with the expansion of the shrimp trawling fishery in the eastern coast of India in the mid-1970s, several individuals of the species are washed ashore dead every year.[23][26][27] The eggs laid by the females along the beach are also sold in the local market by the fishermen and traders.[25] In 1977, a recovery programme was started by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.[25] Many volunteer organisations in the city, such as the Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network and the Sea Turtle Protection Force of the TREE Foundation, get involved in conservation of the species along the coast.[23][28] Meiofaunal composition at the Marina Beach chiefly includes turbellarians, nematodes, polychaetes, oligochaetes, and harpacticoids.[29] Species of gastrotrichs are also found in the region. Attractions and activities The Rock Fountain 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.[11] The beach is popular for its shops and food stalls run by about 500 shops run by about 1,212 vendors.[30][31] The memorials and statues, morning walk, joggers' track, 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. Beach cricket at the Marina dates back several decades. However, Chennai City Police has banned it at different points due to its interference with traffic and beach walkers.[32] 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.[33] Fishing nets on the beach There are two swimming pools along the stretch—the Marina swimming pool and the Anna swimming pool. The Marina swimming pool was built in 1947 and is located opposite the Presidency College. The pool is 100 m long and 30 m wide, bigger than the standard Olympic pool size of 50 m × 25 m and is 3 ft to 5.5 ft deep. It is maintained by Corporation of Chennai. It underwent renovation in 1994 and 2004. The Anna swimming pool is located opposite the clock tower building of the University of Madras and virtually remains hidden behind the Anna Square bus terminus. The pool is said to be the first Olympic size pool to be built in Tamil Nadu. It was constructed in 1976 with a diving board. However, the diving board was removed later during a renovation. The pool is 4 ft to 11 ft deep. It also has a toddler pool that is 2.5 ft. Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) conducts regular coaching camps at the pool.[34] The oval-shaped skating arena at the beach has an outer railing and standing area for people to watch from.[34] As part of the 'Chennai Forever' initiative by the Tamil Nadu government, a 34-foot (10 m) tall, artificial waterfall was installed in September 2005 at a cost of INR 1.5 million.[35] 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.[36] 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.[37] In 2010, the Chennai Corporation procured new cleaning equipments to clean the beach at a cost of INR 8.011 million. These included a sand-cleaning machine capable of cleaning 15,000 m2 area in an hour procured at a cost of INR 3.267 million, three skid steer loaders to clean narrow lanes commissioned at a cost of INR 2.652 million, imported lawn mower, ride-on mechanical sweeper, tree pruner and hedge trimmer. An automatic ticket-vending machine at a cost of INR 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.[38] About 150 corporation staff, including a junior engineer, maintains the lawns and service lanes on the beach.[31] Structures along the beach The PWD Complex 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. Victory War Memorial, a memorial for the warriors who lost their lives in the World Wars, marks the northern end of the beach. Memorials for C N Annadurai and M G Ramachandran, former Chief ministers 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 (from north to south):[20][39] Robert Caldwell (erected on 2 January 1968)
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