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 Bay of Bengal. The neighbourhood is inhabited by highly affluent population and is dotted with many upmarket restaurant ...

neighbourhood of

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is 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 India ...

, India. It is located next to the southern tip of the Marina Beach, and was named after Edward Elliot, a

chief magistrate 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 admini ...

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 Territories ...

of the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

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

. 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 racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

only. Today, the beach and its Kaj Schmidt Memorial 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 simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

s (ATVs).

Karl Schmidt memorial

A prominent landmark on this beach is the

Karl Schmidt Memorial The Kaj Schmidt Memorial is an architectural landmark commemorating a 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 state, bu ...

. The memorial is named after the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

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 The Modern Style is a style of architecture, art, and design that first emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid-1880s. It is the first Art Nouveau style worldwide, and it represents the evolution of the Arts and Crafts movement which was native ...

of architecture. Elliots beach moonlight panorama

Safety

There 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 simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

(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