Besant Nagar is the neighbourhood of Chennai. Besant Nagar is named after the noted lady theosophist of colonial times Annie Besant. Besant Nagar was developed by Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) in the early 1970s and up to the early 1980s. It was developed in an area of about 4 sq km encompassing the surroundings of Indra Nagar and Shastri Nagar. Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) developed residential plots, apartments, commercial complexes, wide roads, school zones, bus terminus and large parks.
Location of Besant Nagar
Besant Nagar is located on the coastal-line of Bay of Bengal to the East, and is bounded by Thiruvanmiyur to the South, Adyar to the West and Adyar Estuary to the North. The Theosophical Society Headquarters in Besant Nagar is located here. It was founded in 1875. Theosophical Society in Chennai is a worldwide body whose primary objective is the Universal Brotherhood and is famed for its Banyan trees and serene natural beauty.
Kalakshetra Academy, the world famous dance school started in 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale and her husband George Arundale and their associates at the Theosophical Society which was deeply committed to Theosophy and an arts academy was an extension to this commitment. Kalakshetra Academy is also present in Besant Nagar of Chennai.
Besant Theosophical High School was founded in 1934. It is the oldest branch of the Kalakshetra Foundation. Olcott Memorial High School is named after its founder Colonel Henry Steel Olcott who founded the school in 1894. The Panchama Free School was founded to provide schooling access to the children of the fifth caste who were denied access to the regular schools. Olcott Education Society is the education arm of the Theosophical Society.
Arignar Anna Govt Higher Secondary School was founded in the year 1964. The school is a co-educational school and it has classes from Class VI to XII. The Rajaji Bhavan building carries the British architectural heritage.
Tourism in Besant Nagar
Besant Nagar is the centre of transportation to reach the Elliot`s Beach, which was 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. Arulmigu Mahalakshmi Temple is located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, Besant Nagar Beach and the metropolitan city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. This is the only temple dedicated to Sri Mahalaksahmi, the Consort of Sriman Narayanan on the east coast in Tamil Nadu. Ashta Lakshmi Temple is also located near Besant Nagar. Other tourist attraction sites like Varasiddhi Vinayaka Temple, Ashtalakshmi Kovil, Arupadai Murugan Kovil, Ratnagirishwarar Kovil and the Velankanni Church.
