The Biggest Living Teak: Kannimara teak
Kannimara Teak is one of the largest teak trees in the world today. The tree has a large structure with a circumference of 6.48 meters. Estimated to be about 400 years old, Kanyamara Teak's crown height is about 48.75 m. The tree plays an important role in the belief systems of indigenous groups living in the region, and there are many stories about it.
According to one such story, blood came from the trunk of the tree as people tried to cut it. Since then, local tribes have begun worshiping this tree as the "Virgin Tree", which became known as Kannimara teak.
The name Kannimara is a combination of two Malayalam words: kanni (meaning virgin) and mara (meaning tree). This spectacular tree is to be found in the Parambikulam WildLife Sanctuary which is located in Palakkad district. This sanctuary can be reached by road and is at a distance of about 80 km from Nilambur town. The government of India honored this tree by awarding it with the 'Mahavriksha Puraskar'.
