Saalumarada thimmakka, india’s “mother of trees” who planted 400 banyans, dies at 114

A remarkable environmental legacy has come to an end with the passing of Saalumarada Thimmakka, the extraordinary Indian woman who transformed a barren stretch of road into a lush green corridor by single-handedly planting nearly 400 banyan trees over her lifetime.

Born around 1911 in a small village in Karnataka, southern India, Thimmakka lived a life of humble beginnings—working as a quarry laborer with no formal education. When she and her husband found themselves unable to have children, a source of deep sorrow and social shame in rural India, they made a profound decision that would define their lives and benefit countless others. “We decided to plant trees instead, and tend to them like we would our children,” she once recalled.

For decades, the couple devoted themselves to nurturing their botanical “children” along the dusty road between Hulikal and Kudur. They carried water for miles during dry seasons, protected the saplings from cattle, and provided shade during scorching heat. Their dedication paid off as the trees flourished, eventually creating a magnificent canopy that provides shade and cooler temperatures for travelers today. Thimmakka’s neighbors honored her work by adding “Saalumarada”—meaning “row of trees”—to her name.

Even after her husband’s death, Thimmakka continued her daily walks along the roadside she had transformed, tending to her green legacy. Her life demonstrates how one person’s dedication to environmental stewardship can create lasting change, turning a simple act of planting trees into a powerful statement about nurturing the natural world.