Anantapur: ‘Thimmamma Marrimanu’, the banyan tree that had earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest tree specimen in the world is in immediate need of state attention. The tree, located at Gooti Bayalu village in NP Kunta mandal of Anantapur district, is literally tearing apart.
Lack of minimum protective measures has been damaging the tree. A couple of days ago, a branch fell off, signalling the state of affairs. Locals, who had been taking their concerns over the negligence with the state government and the forest department, now want the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to take over the site.
The canopy of Thimmamma Marrimanu, a specimen of Ficus Benghalensis, covers 4.721 acres. The tree is located about 70 km from Horsely Hills and 25 km from Kadiri. There is a small temple built under the tree which is dedicated to Thimmamma. An account of her life was made in Telugu language and was kept at the shrine.
According to legend, Thimmamma, born in 1394 AD, was the daughter of a Setti Balija couple Sennakka Venkata-ppa and Mangamma. She married Bala Veerayya and took care of him when he fell ill. Veerayya died in 1434 and Thimmamma then reportedly committed Sati (throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her husband).
The tree is said to have originated from one of the poles used for the funeral pyre. It is believed by the local people that the pole of north-east side pyre grew and got inside this tree. The tree was named Thimmamma in memory of the woman.
The tree was first brought to the notice of the world by Sathyanarayana Iyer, familiar as ‘Regret Iyer’, a freelance journalist and photographer from Bengaluru.
He made all efforts to have the tree recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989.
His name was included in the Book in this regard. ‘Thimmamma Marrimanu’ was discussed in the second segment of the BBC series The Tree Spirits two years ago.
The Indian mythology represents this tree as ‘Trimurthy’ which is a confluence of Lord Vishnu as the bark, Lord Brahma as the roots and Lord Shiva as the branches. Locals believe that if a couple prays at the shrine for a child, their prayers are answered. A small temple, dedicated to Thimmamma, is found under the canopy.
