Marina Beach, Chennai

About Marina Beach

Marina beach in Chennai along the Bay of Bengal is the longest beach in India and the second longest in the world. It is mainly spread over a sandy stretch of about 12 km from Besant Nagar in the south to Fort St George in the north. The Chennai Marina beach was renovated in the 1880s by Governor Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff. Unlike the smaller, rocky formations that make up Juhu Beach in Mumbai, the marina is predominantly sandy.

Architecture of Marina Beach

Marina is a natural urban sandy beach along the Coramandal Coast on the Bay of Bengal. Mainly sandy, the beach stretches for about 13 km. The average width of the beach is 300 meters (980 ft) and the width of the widest part is 437 meters (1,434 ft).

Interesting facts about Marina Beach

1. The composition of meiosis at Marina Beach mainly consists of turbellarians, nematodes, polychaetes, oligochaetes and harpacticoids.
2. The beach is popular for its food stalls run by its shops and around 500 shops run by about 1,212 vendors.
3. Kite flying and beach cricket are common sports on the beach, and there are facilities for pony rides as well.
4. The beach is one of the most prominent open spaces in Chennai and hosts many important national and cultural events like parades on Independence Day and Republic Day.
5. India's largest city marathon, the annual Chennai Marathon, begins at Anna Square near Marina Beach. The Pongal festival in January attracts an estimated 150,000 people to the beach for the festivities.
6. The beach also has pony rides, merry-go-rounds and giant wheels. There is a 34 feet tall artificial waterfall which was established on the promenade in 2005, also known as Kamaraj Salai.
   

How to reach Marina Beach