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| Thimmamma Marrimanu, Telengana, India .Alamy.com |
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| Thimmamma Marrimanuhistoricalplacesandtemples, India.wordpress.c |
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| location map. Kadri, telengana. /frontline.thehindu.com |
In the local parlance - Telugu spoken here "marri" means "banyan" and "manu" means"trees". This tree is said to have grown from one of the wooden poles used in the funeral pyre in which Thimmamma Marrimanu, a local woman committed sati - suicide by getting into the funeral pyre of her husband. It was a horrible custom in those bygone days which was put to an end by great social reformers like Rajaram Mohan Rai of Bengal. This pretty old Hindu custom is obsolete and gone for ever. It was in 1829 it was banned when Governor-General of India William Bentinck of the the East India Company rule. He enacted the Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829, declaring the practice of burning or burying alive of Hindu widows to be punishable by the criminal courts. Mind you, non-existent in ancient India, in the later days, it was a rare practice and not widow burning, rather it was a voluntary act on the part of the women.
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| Sati voluntary suicide in the funeral pyre of her husband. .indictoday.com |
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| Gov. Gen. william bentnick. en.wikipwdia. org . |
According to the local myth, the banyan tree grew from her burned wood in the funeral pyre and is named after Thimmamma Marrimanu. This myth led to the construction of a small temple right under the tree and the belief has been that those childless women if prayed to the temple here, will be soon blessed with a kid. Lots of couple used to visit this small temple here. On the day of the Shivaratri festival a large jatara is held at Thimmamma and couples in thousands go there to worship it and to relax in the peaceful ambience around this place. This is despite the fact that there are no facilities like restaurants, public toilets, potable drinking water, etc. Presently, conservation work is underway and the Forest deptt. banned visitors to his historical site.
The credit goes to one Sathyanarayana Iyer, a freelance journalist and photographer from Bangalore, Karnataka, who brought to light for the first time, the presence of this huge tree here and he was responsible for its entry into the Guinness Book of World.
This pretty old tree, presently under the management of Telengana Forest department (since January 2018) because of its continuous massive lateral growth and lack of strength in aerial roots is unable to bear its own weight. In the recent past one of its branches came crashing down. The Forest deptt. is engaged in conservation and restoration work, as the huge tree has become weak to bear its own weight. They banned the entry of public as many visitors hung on to the aerial roots and sometime used them to swing hard. This resulted in damage to Pillalamarri which loses many aerial roots to support its growth. The Forest deptt., at certain important places, built concrete pillars to prevent crashing down of tree branches.
Last year, in consultation with experts under the chief officer of the Forest deptt. at selected places small holes were made and pesticide solution was injected in the holes to avoid termite attack. Termites pose threats to such old trees. Every two days about 200 plastic bottles were emptied for this purpose. Checking every sign of elapse, the Forest deptt. frequently observed the new aerial roots for their easy growth. Besides, they also went deep into the roots into the ground to check the growth. This precaution was taken regularly, though termite attack is almost under control now.
Yet another major problem being faced by the forest officials is lack of soil. This means the tree is unable to get enough nutrients for its further growth of aerial roots and strength to penetrate the earth. Tilling and moisture conservation work was under way to enable soil growth. The Forest deptt., is making every effort for continuous supply of water to the tree and the growth of its canopy. They already installed water pipe line to introduce drip irrigation for the tree and its revival.
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| Thimmamma Marrimanu.Alamy.com |
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| Local temple under the banyan tree, telengana. frontline.thehindu.com |
Tit-bits:
Banyan in literature:
''The banyan has often been talked about in literature too. John Milton, the author of Paradise Lost, was not unaware of the great Indian banyans. In the sensational Ninth Book of the epic poem, where he describes the scene immediately after Eve and Adam become aware of their shameful nakedness following the great sin they committed, Milton says they cover themselves with the leaves of the banyan tree.
He writes: “...and both together went/ Into the thickest wood; there soon they chose/ The fig tree; not that kind for fruit renown'd,/ But such as at this day, to Indians known/ In Malabar or Deccan, spreads her arms/ Branching so broad and long, that in the ground/ The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow/ About the mother tree, a pillar'd shade/ High over-arch'd, and echoing walks between:/ There oft the Indian herdsmen shunning heat,/ Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds/ At loop-holes cut through the thickest shade. Those leaves/ They gather'd, broad as Amazonian targe,/ And with what skill they had together sew'd/ To gird their waist. Vain covering, if to hide/ Their guilt and dreaded shame!” (lines 1,099 to 1,114).
''In another literary instance, Robinson Crusoe (the protagonist of Daniel Defoe's novel of the same name) builds his home in a banyan tree. A famous collection of short stories by R.K. Narayan is titled Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories. The banyan also has a religious significance in India; it finds mention in the Bhagvad Gita.'' (https://frontline.thehindu.com/static/html/fl2911/stories/20120615291108300.html)
https://chaibisket.com/thimmamma-marrimamanu/
https://historicalplacesandtemples.wordpress.com/about-thimmamma-marrimanu/
The Hindu Sunday Magazine (Tiruchi Edition): dated Jan. 19, 2020:: ''Addressing the root of the problem''.