Besant Nagar Elliot’s beach in Chennai
Besant Nagar beach is also called as Edward Elliot’s beach or Adyar beach and it is the second most popular beach in Chennai. Besant Nagar beach is an important tourist destination within Chennai (Its near Adyar) and it is one of the longer and more neatly kept beaches of Chennai. I have visited this beach more often than the very popular Marina beach. While the Marina beach looks neat now (after the recent renovation), this beach has always been neat.
The above solitary structure in the center of this beach is called as the Karl Schmidt memorial. It is named so in the honor of a Dutch sailor who lost his life while saving a drowning swimmer in this beach (long time back). Of course, this memorial is not in its best shape (its pretty much broken from all sides), but maybe that adds a bit of romanticism to it!
Earlier, this beach was relatively free of vendors, but looks like there are many shops at some places in this beach too. The sundal (with mango pieces), roasted corn and various bajji’s are very popular in Chennai beaches, but now all kind of eateries are available. I even saw a baloon shooting game (seen only in Marina beach earlier). This beach is mostly visited by families and its located in a relatively posh region of Chennai.
There are some important landmarks around this beach as well. The Velankanni Church (smaller one is in Chennai, larger one is in Velankanni town) and Ashtalakshmi Temple are very famous landmarks nearby. There is also a Planet Yum (which is an assortment of various eateries) and various other restaurants/ coffee shops/ garment shops surrounding this beach. There is a mini lane along this beach and a two lane road outside it. If you go through the Theosophical society road, the journey will be as good as the destination 🙂
This time, I have made a small movie (video – 40 sec) of Besant Nagar (Elliot’s) beach in Chennai. Any suggestions for improvement are welcome in the comments section. Below is the embedded Youtube video for the same.
Destination Infinity
Wow!! That’s definitely one of my favourite beach! I have so much of fond memories here. Used to meet with friends here during college days after we finish our projects. I don’t like the lane that connects the Velankani church and Ashtalakshmi temple..that small lane!! That’s full of smelly fish!
Your video is awesome DI! You’ve done a great job here – be it the music, the way you’ve captured the waves, and your shadow (at 1.35secs) is all beautiful!
Its my favorite beach too… Even though it is very far from our house, we used to go here… Its been some time since I went into the water though, this time I did for that video.
Destination Infinity
This is a beautiful beach! Like you, I and my family, have visited this beach often than the Marina beach. They keep on cleaning … that is why it is clean. Still people don’t stop dropping plastic bags or other wastes in the beach. Awareness will never be there in our people.
The video is good. Your shadow looks as if you are wearing a looong gowng…funny! You have captured the plain sand and waves very well.
I guess with the policy of charging for plastic covers in shops, the total number of plastic covers should come down. Its a very good move by the Govt. I did see some plastic covers here and there but they were quite less actually. I am slowly transitioning from T-shirts to shirts (due to entering the middle age soon). So, future shadows might look different.
Destination Infinity
I completed 59 last October and have started saying that my one foot is in the grave and you are entering 30 and say you are in the middle age! We are weird, D.I.!
My husband wears T-shirts sometimes even now! So, the myth about not wearing T-shirts in the middle age is wrong! Feel young in the mind like me, D.I.!
Ok, I do agree that for some people T-shirts look nice at any age. But for me they seem a little out of place. I look much more mature with normal shirts. That’s the primary reason why I want to move on.
Destination Infinity
Vaish too noticed the shadow?! So, it is going to be in every comment! Anything odd/interesting catches the eye first!
Can’t help not recording the shadow. But if its interesting, then fine 🙂
Destination Infinity
Very interesting, DI. For me this place is a good spot to visit – I see a great lot of wonderful sights here – par ents, children, old, disabled, pet animals and a whole lot more – and I wonder in awe, what a wonderful tapestry we make together yet apart, apart yet together! 🙂
Nice video too! 🙂
apart yet together… wise words! 🙂
Destination Infinity
I want to go there …
looks lovely
Bikram’s
Remember about this next time when you come to India (Chennai…).
Destination Infinity
I miss Besant Nagar Beach 😀 beautiful photos
I too miss it after coming back! Need to go back once again 🙂
Destination Infinity
yay! i been to all these places during my recent chennai trip – the beach, the church,the temple 🙂 niice to read about it all in your post
that broken memorial of the sailor (well that bit i didnt know) is what comes in postcard/travel sites of chennai. landmark.
It is broken, not sure why they keep it as a landmark! I think you didn’t put the photos taken here in your blog. Or did I miss it?
Destination Infinity
Remembering my visit to Besant Nagar beach during my visit to Chennai 2 years back…
We walked leisurely on the beach, had mulaga baji (yum! 🙂 ) and rode back the distance in a bus/ share-auto / and walking combined! 😀 It was so much fun…!
Mulaga bajji is good, but it has so much oil. If not for that, I might be inclined to eat more of them. My favorite in beach is sundal with mango pieces. Heaven 🙂
Destination Infinity
What’s that? Sundal??
Its similar to green peas/ channa. I guess its boiled and served with raw mango pieces. Very famous in Chennai beaches – Tastes great 🙂
Destination Infinity
nice video
did you made the movie using mobile or software.
if possible just mention the music , choice of music is excellent.
Actually, now you can upload small video clips to Youtube and make simple movies (with music) using Youtube’s inbuilt video manager. They even have a collection of copyright free MP3 songs which we can use in our movie. I selected one from that list (not sure which one).
Destination Infinity
Nice read :-). I have been to the Mareena beach[ages back] & it was so dirty then. I went to one more beach….a very clean one but cant remember the name…something like mahalaxmi beach I think. That one had lesser crowd and it had an open restaurant which served delicious masala dosas 😛
ooooh got it…Mahabaleshwar Beach…yesss thats the one 😀
Just looked at ur pictures once more and the 2nd pic of the landmark looked really familiar. racked my brains and then remmebered…..there is an old movie of Mohanlal & Sreenivasan called Naadodi Kaatte…..in this movie these 2 guys get conned by a boatman who drops them off here at this landmark [fr kerala] and tells them its Dubai 😀
That movie is there in Tamil as well. Different actors, of course. In the Tamil movie, they land up in Cochin in shek’s dress 🙂
I think that is Mahabalipuram beach. But the ECR is full of beaches and they might have named one of them Mahabaleshwar beach as well!
Destination Infinity
U r right….it’s the Mahabalipuram Beach 😀
Hahaahaa….so the movie is there in tamil too huh. Even in the mal movie they get off the boat & wear arab clothes 😀
Nice photo-journey… Haven’t been to this place, I am sure one day! 🙂
And you are putting your new camera to a good use! 😀
Yes, I have started taking pictures with it. I am not yet able to take a panoromic shot, but very soon you might see one in this blog 🙂
Destination Infinity
I always loved Marina beach for its long shore where we used to walk from light house to Anna square talking and taking rest in between 🙂
This beach is good but now there are lot of shops in the sand which makes it difficult to walk around 🙁 Thanks for the info on the memorial. I didn’t known that 🙂
Pics and video were good DI 🙂
Earlier, it was difficult to find any shops or vendors in Besant Nagar beach. But now, it has almost become a shop-filled beach! The time at which I went, many shops were closed though.
Destination Infinity
Chennai is on my to visit list but the weather deters me!
This beach is also dirty now. ny time you go there you can gte the smell of shit. fishermen reliveing and cleaning their backsides on the shore is now all too common. place is littered with plastic bags, ice ceam teacups and so much of other watse.