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Thimmamma Marrimanu


Coordinates: 14°1′40.80″N 78°19′30.37″E / 14.0280000°N 78.3251028°E / 14.0280000; 78.3251028Thimmamma Marrimanu is a banyan tree in Anantapur, located circa 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". Its canopy covers 19,107 m2 (4.721 acres), and it was recorded as the largest tree specimen in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989.

A Telugu account preserved at the shrine says that the daughter of a Settibalija couple, who were named Sennakka Venkatappa and Mangamma, was born in AD 1394. She married Bala Veerayya, who died in 1434, and Thimmamma committed sati. She was a just lady who served her ailing husband devotedly. The tree is believed to have sprouted at the place of her ascension of the funeral pyre. Specifically, it is believed that the northeastern pole of the pyre grew into this tree.

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.


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