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 — around 45 metres tall with a girth of over six metres — and, by most estimates, somewhere between 450 and 500 years old, making it one of the oldest living teak trees in the world. 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. It stands around 45 metres tall in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve.
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.