Thimmamma Marrimanu

Thimmamma Marrimanu (Telugu: తిమ్మమ్మ మర్రిమాను, lit. "Thimmamma's Banyan Tree") is a banyan tree in Anantapur, located about 25 kilometers from Kadiri, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is probably a specimen of Ficus benghalensis. In the Telugu language, "marri" denotes "banyan" and "manu" denotes "trees".[1][2] Its canopy covers 19,107 m2 (4.721 acres),[3][4][5] and it was recorded as the largest tree specimen in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989.[3][6][7]

Thimmamma Marrimanu
SpeciesBanyan (Ficus benghalensis)
LocationAnantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India

Legend

According to a local myth, the tree is named after Thimmamma, a woman who committed sati (suicide by throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her husband's dead body). The tree is said to have originated from one of the poles used in the funeral pyre.[8]

Religious significance

A small temple dedicated to Thimmamma is beneath the tree. The residents of the region strongly believe that if a childless couple worships Thimmamma they will beget a child in the next year. A large jatara is conducted at Thimmamma on the day of the Shivaratri festival, when thousands flock to the tree to worship it.[9]

Recordation

The tree was first noticed and revealed to the world by Regret Iyer (Sathyanarayana Iyer), a freelance journalist and photographer from Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Later he made all efforts to have the tree recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as "World's largest Banyan Tree". 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' (29 Aug 2017)[10]

See also

References
  1. C. Sudhakar; R. Suguna Kumari (2008). Women and Forestry. The Associated Publishers. ISBN 978-81-8429-081-3. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  2. Lavanya Vemsani (31 October 2006). Hindu and Jain Mythology of Balarāma: Change and Continuity in an Early Indian Cult. Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 978-0-7734-5723-2. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  3. Matthews, Peter; Dunkley McCarthy, Michelle; Young, Mark (CON) (October 1993). The Guinness Book of Records 1994. Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-2645-6. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  4. Confer "Banyan Trees". Backpacker-backgammon.com. Backpacker-Backgammon. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  5. Confer "Thimmamma Marrimanu". anantapur.com. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  6. India Today. Living Media India Pvt. Ltd. 1992. p. 53. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  7. Sayeed, Vikhar Ahmed. "Arboreal Wonder". Frontline. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  8. M.A. Mannan (2013-01-02). "550-year-old banyan tree in Andhra Pradesh enters Guinness Book as largest tree in world". India Today 31 August 1992.
  9. Various. Tourist Guide to Andhra Pradesh. Sura Books. pp. 44 et seq. ISBN 978-81-7478-176-5. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  10. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csvntf
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