India's 'Mother of Trees' Planted 8,000 Trees Across 60 Years

When Saalumarada Thimmakka and her husband Chikkayya couldn't have children, they poured their love into something that would outlive them all: trees.

Born into poverty in Karnataka's Tumakuru district, Thimmakka never attended school and worked breaking rocks in a quarry. But her life would grow into one of India's most remarkable environmental stories.

After years without children, the couple made a choice. They would plant banyan trees and raise them with the same devotion they would have given a child.

They started with 10 saplings. Chikkayya dug the pits while Thimmakka walked kilometers to carry water from distant wells. Together they guarded the young trees from drought, wandering cattle, and scorching summers.

Ten trees became hundreds. Over years of patient care, they transformed a barren 4.5 kilometer stretch between Hulikal and Kudur into a shaded avenue of 385 towering banyan trees.

Thimmakka didn't stop there. Over six decades, she nurtured more than 8,000 trees across Karnataka, creating corridors of shade and life where none existed before.

When Chikkayya died in 1991, Thimmakka continued alone. What began as shared grief had become her life's purpose, and she tended her trees for decades more.

Why This Inspires

Thimmakka's trees became home to countless birds and wildlife. They cooled the land, supported biodiversity, and sheltered travelers from the harsh sun.

But perhaps the greatest ripple was human. Communities across the region began planting their own trees, inspired by the elderly woman who showed that one person's dedication could transform the landscape.

Recognition finally arrived: India's National Citizen's Award, the prestigious Padma Shri, an honorary doctorate, and a spot on BBC's 100 Women list. Yet for Thimmakka, watching her trees thrive remained the greatest honor.

She passed away in November 2025 at the reported age of 114. Today, thousands of travelers rest under her trees, birds nest in their branches, and children play in their shade.

Some legacies fade with time, but Thimmakka's continues to grow, one shade-giving branch at a time.