Sir Mountstuart Grant duff, the then Governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886, was highly captivated with the wonderful beach and built a promenade along the beach which was open to the public in 1884. It was layered with soft sand and named as the Madras Marina. It had served as the meeting place for the freedom fighters before independence. India’s first aquarium was built in the Marina Beach in 1909. Post the independence, statues of the Triumph of Labour and the statue of Mahatma Gandhi were built near the beach. Sculpted by Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury the Triumph of Labour is an iconic sculpture that showcases four men struggling to move a rock and was installed on the Republic day in 1959. Statues of Tamil Literature personalities named Kambar, Avvaiyar, Thiruvalluvar, Subramania Bharathiyar, Veeramamunivar and Bharathidasan were erected in 1968. Statue of the legendary women Kannagi was installed in 2006 after its removal in 2001. She was the central character of the Tamil epic Silapathikaram. Memorials in the honour of the famous politicians were also added along the beach.Arignar Anna memorial was built in 1970 while in 1988 the Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran memorial was erected. Latest additions include the memorial of Jayalalitha and M Karunanidhi. Opposite to the beach stand several significant buildings like Chepauk Cricket Stadium, Senate House, University of Madras, Presidency College, Vivekananda House, Queen Mary’s College and dr. Annie Besant Park. The renowned beach has also been showcased in several movies. Madras Corporation as a major initiative of renovating the beach has made several additions in the year 2008. Fourteen galleries and a four meter internal walkway were constructed as a part of the renovation project.Four hundred and twenty eight Octagonal poles with seagull shaped light fittings have enhanced the lighting of the beach providing better visibility of the beach during the night. A lighthouse soaring to a height of 49 m gives an opportunity to enjoy the striking views of the beach and the city.
