Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kannimara teak
Mains level: Not Much
The legendary Kannimara teak of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is still growing in height and girth.
What is the news?
- Over the last five years, the centuries-old teak has grown by 1.85 metres in height and 9 cm in girth.
- This might be one of the largest and oldest teak tree in the world.
Kannimara teak
- Worshipped by the tribes of Parambikulam, the Kannimara teak remains a flagship of the tiger reserve offering a spectacular view to visitors.
- For the tribespeople of Parambikulam, it is still a ‘virgin tree’.
- That was why they named it Kannimara (meaning virgin tree).
- The tribal legend has it that the tree had bled when people tried to cut it.
- So they protected it and started worshipping the tree by offering annual pujas.
- The Kannimara tree had won the Union government’s Mahavriksha Puraskar in its first year of introduction in 1994.
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