Besant Nagar

Besant Nagar
—  neighbourhood  —
Road in Besant Nagar
Besant Nagar Location of Besant Nagar in Chennai and India
Coordinates	13°00′01″N 80°16′00″E
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District(s)	Chennai
Parliamentary constituency	Chennai South
Assembly constituency	Mylapore
Zone	Adyar
Ward	152
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)

Besant Nagar (Tamil: பெசன்ட் நகர்) is one of Chennai's well known neighbourhoods, named after the famous lady theosophist Annie Besant, and adjoins the Theosophical Society. The Theosophical Society Headquarters is located here. It was founded in 1875, and is a worldwide body whose primary objective is Universal Brotherhood and is famed for its Banyan trees and serene settings. Kalakshetra Academy, the world famous dance school started by Rukmini Devi Arundale is also present in this locality. It is a part of Chennai which is inhabitated by many famous personalities and affluent citizens. Alongside are many restaurants, cafes, shops and boutiques. The main attraction is the Elliot's Beach, named after Edward Elliot, Governor of Madras. It forms the end-point of the Marina Beach shore. It has the Velankanni Church and the Ashtalakshmi Temple along the shore and is sometimes nicknamed 'Bessie'. In the colonial era it was a fairly exclusive place limited to ex-patriates.

Besant Nagar was developed by Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) in late 1970s and early 1980s.TNHB developed residential plots, apartments ,commercial complexes, wide roads, school zones, bus terminus and large parks. The St. John's English School and Junior College established in 1981, by late Dr.G.Rajkumar is a well known educational institution here. Just opposite to the school is the residence of (former) World Chess Champion Vishwanath Anand.

Besant Nagar is an excellent example of organized government town planning by Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB)^{[citation needed]}. Originally a quiet residential area, the popularity of the nearby Elliot's beach has led to a steady increase in traffic and commercial activities.

Besant Avenue - the road leading from Aavin Park to Besant Nagar - is quite busy and is shady due to trees planted on either side. Apart from the usually crowded and extremely vibrant Elliot's beach, it is also home to many popular places of worship - The Varasiddhi Vinayaka temple (inaugurated in 1977), Ashtalakshmi Kovil (1976), Arupadai Murugan Kovil (1986), Ratnagirishwarar Kovil (1968) and the Velankanni Church.

The area also boasts a wide variety of eat-outs from different parts of the country and globe like Besant Fast Foods, Heritage, Anjappar, Frankies, Eden, Cascade, Lotus Pond, Flamingo Vishranthi, Planet Yumm, Fruit Shop on Greams Road, Mash, Beach Palms (Neiydhal Panaidhal), French Loaf, Murugan Idli Shop, Tasty Jones, Tharavad (renamed as Nanadanam), Dhabba Express, Barista and Khaana Khazaana that reflect the growing multiculturalism of the neighbourhood. Some residents have counted up to 50 restaurants/eateries in the neighbourhood between Mahatma Gandhi Road and Fifth Avenue.

It has a variety of Book stores like the Words Worths in the basement floor of Ramaniyam arcade, where the Cascade hotel is present. The Spencers Daily supermarket also provides a variety of provisional items. Limelite is one of the most elite unisex salons here. Nearby localities include Adyar and Thiruvanmiyur.

An aerial view of Besant Nagar and Elliots beach

External links

• Varasiddhi Vinayaka Temple