Edward Elliot's Beach, simply called as Elliot's Beach and popularly known as Besant Nagar Beach or the Bessie, is a natural urban beach located in the

Besant Nagar Besant Nagar is an upscale, exclusive residential neighbourhood in South Chennai, India. It is located along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The neighbourhood is inhabited by highly affluent population and is dotted with many upmarket restau ...

neighbourhood of

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 ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, India. It is located next to the southern tip of the

Marina Beach Marina Beach, or simply the Marina, is a natural urban beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, along the Bay of Bengal. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Foreshore Estate in the south, a distance of , making it the second longest ...

, and was named after Edward Elliot, a

chief magistrate A chief magistrate is a public official, executive or judicial, whose office is the highest in its class. Historically, the two different meanings of magistrate have often overlapped and refer to, as the case may be, to a major political and admi ...

and

superintendent of police Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territori ...

of the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

colonial India Colonial India was the part of the Indian subcontinent that was occupied by European colonial powers during and after the Age of Discovery. European power was exerted both by conquest and trade, especially in spice trade, spices. The search for ...

. It has the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health—also known as Annai Vailankanni Church—on its shore, and the Ashtalakshmi Temple nearby. During the colonial era, Elliot's beach was fairly exclusive to

white people White is a Race (human categorization), racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry. It is also a Human skin color, skin color specifier, although the definition can var ...

only. Today, the beach and its

Kaj Schmidt Memorial The Kaj Schmidt Memorial is an architectural landmark commemorating a Denmark, Danish sailor who drowned in 1930 trying to save the life of a woman. It is located at Elliot's Beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The monument was in a derelict ...

are cultural landmarks of Chennai, visited by thousands daily. Safety on and around the beach is ensured by a police outpost and

all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat ...

s (ATVs).

Karl Schmidt memorial

A prominent landmark on this beach is the Karl Schmidt Memorial. The memorial is named after the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

sailor who lost his life trying to save a girl from drowning. Elliot's Beach is one of the cleanest and safest beaches in the city of Chennai. It is located towards the south of Marina Beach. Besant Nagar Beach Road

The Ashtalakshmi Temple, located near the southern end of the beach, was built in 1976 in modern style of architecture. Elliots beach moonlight panorama

Safety

There is a police outpost on the beach, which is policed by

all-terrain vehicles An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat ...

(ATVs). In 2010, there were 11 drowning cases reported off the beach. In August 2012, the government sanctioned two more all-terrain vehicles for patrolling the beach.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edward Elliot's Beach Beaches of Tamil Nadu Tourist attractions in Chennai

Karl Schmidt memorial

Safety

See also

References