Secretariat Park is an urban park at
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The park is located opposite the Secretariat at
Fort St. George
Fort St. George (or historically, White Town) is a fortress at the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English (later British) fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further ...
on Rajaji Salai, near
Chennai Port
Chennai Port, formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest container port of India, behind Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port also known as Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Nhava Sheva. The port is the largest one in the Bay of Bengal. It is the thir ...
.
History
The park was originally an undeveloped land near the port with some trees. In 2009,
Corporation of Chennai
Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is a local government for the City of Chennai in the Chennai Metropolitan Area of Tamil Nadu, India. Inaugurated on 29 September 1688, under a royal charter issued by King James II of England on 30 December ...
developed the land measuring into a park at a cost of 97.5 million. The park was inaugurated on 29 May 2009 by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu
M. Karunanithi.
The park
The park stretches from the
Reserve Bank of India
Reserve Bank of India, abbreviated as RBI, is the central bank of the Republic of India, and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system and Indian rupee, Indian currency. Owned by the Ministry of Finance (India), Min ...
subway to the
War Memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
and measures 18.5 acres. The park has a grand circular fountain at the centre and pedestrian walkways. Other features in the park include tree court with 18 granite benches laid around the trees, one-acre sunken court that is below the road level for children, two public rest houses, and grand granite plazas for practising
yoga
Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
. There are three ramps connected to the pathways, enabling people with disability to make use of all parts of the park. The walls have murals done by arts students.
The central fountain has an abstract design made of an alloy of copper and tin.
A park also has a parking lot with a toilet block. It also houses a separate toilet facility and children play area for slum dwellers of Annai Sathya Nagar located nearby.
See also
*
Parks in Chennai
References
{{coord missing, Tamil Nadu
Tourist attractions in Chennai
Parks in Chennai
Urban public parks