Thimmamma Marrimanu is an Indian banyan (Ficus benghalensis) at Gootibayulu near Kadiri in Andhra Pradesh. Guinness World Records lists it for the largest canopy on a living tree. Its extraordinary footprint comes from hundreds of aerial roots that descend from branches, root in the soil and thicken into supporting trunks.
What is Thimmamma Marrimanu?
Thimmamma Marrimanu is a single banyan whose outward-growing branches and rooted props create the appearance of an entire woodland. Guinness World Records identifies the tree in Andhra Pradesh as the largest canopy on a living tree: its record category is canopy spread, not height, trunk girth or proven age.
The tree is associated with Gootibayulu, near Kadiri. Guinness uses the historical Anantapur designation, while current Andhra Pradesh tourism information places the site in Sri Sathya Sai district.
How one banyan can look like a forest
Aerial roots become extra trunks
Banyans send cord-like roots down from horizontal limbs. When a root reaches the ground, it can anchor, enlarge and function as a prop trunk. New branches then extend farther out, producing more roots and another wave of support. The result is a broad, connected crown held up by many trunk-like columns rather than one central stem.
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- 6 years old, 8" tall
- Indoor bonsai tree
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The strangler-fig connection
Banyan species can begin when a seed germinates in another tree’s canopy. Roots grow downward, and the fig eventually develops an independent support system. That life cycle explains why banyans are capable of occupying such large areas, although the available public descriptions do not establish the exact origin story of Thimmamma Marrimanu.
How large is the canopy?
The four-football-fields comparison comes from a 2025 report that gives the canopy as 19,107 square metres. Moneycontrol repeats the same figure. “Four football fields” is therefore an intuitive approximation of the reported horizontal area, not a separate botanical measurement.
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Other official descriptions do not match exactly. They may reflect different years, boundaries or measuring methods, so the figures should not be added together or treated as one survey.
| Source | Description | What it measures or qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| The Daily Galaxy, 2025 | 19,107 square metres | Figure used for the four-football-fields comparison |
| Sri Sathya Sai district eco-tourism page | Nearly five acres | General tourism description |
| Sri Sathya Sai district eco-tourism page | 8 acres 15 cents and 5,559 branches | Alternative figures published on the district information |
| Government of India Utsav portal, 2024 page | Five acres, 846 metres circumference and more than 6,686 roots | Public tourism description; the root count is not the same as a branch count |
Is it really the world’s largest banyan?
The precise claim supported by the record authority is narrower: Guinness World Records names Thimmamma Marrimanu as having the largest canopy on a living tree. A tree can be a record-holder for horizontal spread without being the tallest, oldest by scientific dating or largest by single-trunk circumference. Those are different comparisons and require different evidence.
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How old is the tree?
The Government of India tourism portal describes Thimmamma Marrimanu as 550 years old on its 2024 event page. That is a public estimate or recognition-era description, not a published ring count or other scientific age determination. The age should therefore be read as “documented as about 550 years old,” rather than as a precisely measured birth date.
The legend of Thimmamma Marrimanu
Local tradition connects the tree with Thimmamma, whose story is placed in 1434. In the version recorded by Guinness, she is said to have entered her deceased husband’s funeral pyre, and a pole from the pyre later sprouted into the banyan. This is folklore, not an independently verified historical account.
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- LIVE HOUSEPLANT: Ginseng Ficus or Ficus Retusa, Taiwan Ficus, Banyan Fig, Indian Laurel Fig, is evergreen miniature plant with aerial roots, mostly grown as Bonsai tree for live decoration. Its roots are thick and bulbous which grow above the surface. It has dense dark-green foliage, creating the spectacular canopy. Due to nonrigid, flexible trunks of the middle and small size, it is possible to make any shape from Ginseng Ficus, that’s why every tree looks unique and fantastic in the house
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The site is also treated as sacred. The Government of India tourism portal records fertility-related beliefs and a three-day Thimmamamba Jatara or Maha Shivaratri observance that attracts pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. These are religious traditions; they should not be presented as evidence that visiting the tree causes a medical or fertility outcome.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where is it, and can you visit?
Location
The official Sri Sathya Sai district eco-tourism page places the tree at Gootibayulu near Kadiri and gives these coordinates: 14.0280615, 78.3250594. The page describes road access from Puttaparthi and Bengaluru.
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Planning a visit
- Confirm the current district directions and road conditions on the Sri Sathya Sai district eco-tourism page.
- Use the published coordinates as a reference, then verify the final approach locally; rural routes and map labels can change.
- If travelling for the festival, check the current dates and crowd arrangements before departure. The Utsav listing describes the celebration as a three-day event.
- Treat the grounds as a religious and heritage site: follow local instructions, avoid climbing roots or branches, and leave offerings only where caretakers permit.
Why the tree is unusual
- Record type: Guinness recognition is for the largest canopy on a living tree.
- Form: Aerial roots turn horizontal growth into a network of supporting trunks.
- Scale: A widely reported 19,107-square-metre canopy is approximately four football fields.
- Age claim: India’s tourism portal publicly describes it as 550 years old, without publishing scientific ring dating.
- Human meaning: A long-standing local legend and annual pilgrimage give the living tree cultural importance as well as botanical interest.
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