In the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, in the far east of Palakkad, stands a single teak tree that stops visitors in their tracks. It is enormous. The Kerala Forest Department’s own page for the tree gives a height of 39.98 m, a girth of 7.15 m at breast height and an age of about 465 years; other published heights differ sharply — 41.83 m and 49.5 m both circulate — so the figure to trust is the Forest Department’s. ⚠ CORRECTED, ROUND 25: this page used to say “around 45 metres”, which is not a figure any source gives. It is among the oldest living teak trees anywhere, and it received the Government of India’s Mahavriksha Puraskar. It is called the Kannimara, and it carries a legend.
The virgin tree
To the Kadar people, the forest’s indigenous community, this is a “kanni mara” — a virgin tree — and its name comes from that reverence. The most famous part of the legend is grim and simple: when loggers once tried to fell it, the story goes, blood oozed from the cut. Taking it as a sign, they stopped, and the tree was left standing and honoured. A stone set at its base, the Kannimara, became a place of worship for the Mala Deivam, the god of the hills, with annual pujas offered in its shade.
A survivor among the felled
The legend is more than folklore — it is why the tree still exists. Around it, generations of teak were cut for timber; the Kannimara was spared. Today it is protected within the tiger reserve, a living monument reached on the forest’s guided routes, and a reminder of how tribal belief quietly preserved something that markets would otherwise have taken.
- The Kannimara teak is inside the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, reached on the reserve’s guided ecotourism routes — you cannot just drive up to it.
- Entry to Parambikulam is regulated via the Pollachi (Tamil Nadu) side; book packages ahead through the official Forest Department portal.
- Treat the tree and the site with respect — it remains sacred to the local Kadar community.
Frequently asked questions
How old is the Kannimara teak?
It is estimated to be between about 450 and 500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest living teak trees in the world. The Kerala Forest Department gives its age as about 465 years, its height as 39.98 m and its girth as 7.15 m at breast height; other sources publish 41.83 m and 49.5 m for the height, so we quote the Forest Department’s.
Why is it called Kannimara?
Kannimara means “virgin tree” in the local tradition of the Kadar people, who hold it sacred. By legend it bled when loggers tried to cut it down, so it was spared and worshipped — a stone at its base marks the site.
Can you see the Kannimara teak?
Yes, but only within the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve on its guided routes. Access is regulated and permits/packages are booked ahead through the Forest Department, usually via the Pollachi side.