Aquarium, Anna And
MGR Samadhis, Icehouse, S
enate-House, Chepauk Palace, Presidency College
Marina beach is located on the eastern side
of Chennai, adjoining the Bay of Bengal. Watching the sun set
and rise from the beach is an enthralling experience. Though bathing
and swimming can be dangerous, as the undercurrent is very strong,
even then people come for swimming here. In the evenings, the
beach is virtually a fair ground with various kinds of entertainment
and food stalls lining the beach.
With its natural sandy beauty
and spacious promenade and beautiful gardens, the beach is a major
attraction for tourists visiting Chennai. It has acquired a South
Indian aura with vendors hawking wares ranging from shell and
glass baubles to kites and fruit juices. The Marina, however,
is large enough to accommodate all visitors as well as the hawkers
and is often the venue for important state functions.
Golden sand, good surf and
a shimmering clean blue sea, this in a nutshell, is Marina beach.
This beach is counted among one of the longest beaches in Asia.
Its 12-km long stretch was made beautiful by the wonderful facelift
given by Governor Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff in the early
1880's, and is a major tourist attraction today.
History
of Marina:
Some of the most beautiful buildings in Chennai
such as the University of Madras, Senate-House, Chepauk Palace,
Presidency College, P.W.D office and Ice House are located on
the beach drive. At the other end of the beach is the new lighthouse.
In between, sentinels on the promenade, are several statues of
Tamil scholars and two splendid bits of sculpture- the Victory
of Labour and the Mahatma Gandhi.
Aquarium : Close
to the Marina beach is the aquarium, which has some of the most
exotic collection of tropical sea fishes and fresh water fishes.
The aquarium gives a chance to have a closer look at the aquatic
life. The Ice House, which was used to store ice brought from
Great Lakes in North America, is south to the Aquarium.
Anna And MGR Samadhis :
Situated on the beach, the
Anna and MGR Samadhis, which are the memorials of the most popular,
former Chief ministers of the state, attract good crowd everyday.
Places to stay in Marina Beach:
Being a capital city of the state, Chennai is well
equipped with various kinds of accommodation options, varying
from economic class to luxurious ones.
ICICI Bank 
AXIS Bank 
HDFC Bank 