Edward Elliot's Beach

'Elliot's Beach or "Besant Nagar Beach" (as popularly known) ' is located in Besant Nagar, Chennai, India. It forms the end-point of the Marina Beach shore and is named after Edward Elliot, Governor of Madras. It has the Velankanni Church and the Ashtalakshmi Kovil nearby and is sometimes nicknamed 'Bessie'[1]. In the colonial era, it was a fairly exclusive place limited to ex-patriates.

The beach is a prominent hang-out zone for most of the college-going crowd in Chennai. On weekends, it becomes quite an experience to find parking space on the beach roads. The beach also has found importance with families, who now no longer travel to the famous Marina Beach. There are many restaurants near the beach.

There is a police outpost at the beach and the crowd is policed by means of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to prevent drowning mishaps. In 2010, there were 11 drowning cases reported off Elliots Beach.[2]

Contents

Karl Schmidt memorial

A prominent landmark on this beach is the Karl Schmidt Memorial. The memorial is named after the Dutch sailor who lost his life in the process of saving a drowning swimmer.

Elliot's Beach is one of the cleanest beaches in the city of Chennai. It is located towards the south of Marina Beach and is an extremely calm and tranquil place. The beach is known as 'Bessie' amongst the locals. As the beach does not offer much activity, it is ideal for long walks. Moreover, the ones who want to soak their feet in the splashing sea water and lose themselves completely in the arms of the nature, head on. Elliot's Beach is quite a hit amongst both the tourists as well as the natives of Tamil Nadu.

It is also the favorite destination of foreign tourists for enjoying sun bath. Elliot's Beach offers very subtle activity, with only few food joints and restaurants. You can relish the mouth watering South Indian snacks and pamper your taste buds, here. Apart from this, there are some religious and historical monuments, to be explored, to add to your adventure. Ashtalakshmi Temple and Velanganni Church are some worth visiting places in the vicinity.

The Ashtalakshmi Temple is around 20 years old and has modern style architecture. It is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and appears different from the rest of the Temples in South India. On the other hand, Velanganni Church is more of a pilgrim place for the Christians. The structure is smaller than the one at Velanganni. In addition, there is the Schmidt Memorial, which is dedicated to a Dutch sailor, who lost his life while saving a drowning fellow. It is one of the most notable landmarks on the famous beach.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Elliot's Beach". Local109.in. http://www.chennai.org.uk/beaches/elliot-beach.html. Retrieved 15-Oct-2011. 
  2. ^ Selvaraj, A. (5 January 2011). "10 all-terrain vehicles on city beaches before Kaanum Pongal" (in English). The Times of India (Chennai: The Times of India). http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/10-all-terrain-vehicles-on-city-beaches-before-Kaanum-Pongal/articleshow/7219466.cms. Retrieved 2-Oct-2011. 

External links

Hydrology of Tamil Nadu
Rivers
Adyar • Amaravathi • Arasalar • Bhavani  • Cheyyar • Chittar • Cooum • Kaveri • Kedilam • Kodaganar • Kodavanar • Kokkiliyar • Kollidam • Kosasthalaiyar • Manimuthar • Nadari  • Nambiyar • Nanganjiyar • Noyyal • Pachaiyar • Pahrali • Palar • Parambikulam • Periyar • Ponnaiyar • Swetha • Thamirabarani • Vaigai • Vaippar • Vasishta • Vellar • Vennaaru
Lakes
Waterfalls
Beaches
Dams/ Reservoirs
See also
Kerala  • Karnataka  • Andhra Pradesh