Padma Shri environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka, famed for planting 385 banyan trees in Karnataka, has died at the age of 114. Born in Tumakuru district, she rose to national prominence for her lifelong commitment to greening rural landscapes. Tributes have poured in from across the state.
Padma Shri awardee Saalumarada Thimmakka, known for planting hundreds of banyan trees in Karnataka. | Pic courtesy: IANS
Padma Shri award-winning environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka, celebrated across India for her extraordinary tree-planting legacy, passed away on Friday. She was 114 years old, according to her family, who confirmed that she had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru before she died.
The renowned green crusader had been unwell for several weeks. Her death marks the end of an era for Karnataka’s grassroots environmental movement, where her work shaped community-led conservation long before climate activism became mainstream.
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Thimmakka was born on June 30, 1911, in Gubbi taluk of Tumakuru district, where she grew up in a modest household long before anyone imagined she would become one of Karnataka’s most loved environmental icons. She had no formal schooling. After her marriage, she settled in Hulikal village, which is often associated with her legacy. Her name, Saalumarada, literally “row of trees” in Kannada, was given to her after she and her husband planted 385 banyan trees along a 4.5 km stretch between Hulikal and Kudur in Ramanagara district.
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The line of trees, still standing today, is considered one of Karnataka’s most iconic examples of sustainable living.
Thimmakka and her husband were childless, and family members have often said that the act of planting saplings became her way of finding emotional purpose. She nurtured every tree as if it were her own child, watering them daily and protecting them through seasons of drought.
Her decades-long work brought her national acclaim. She received:
among many others.
Her life’s work also inspired environmental organisations, students, activists and policymakers, who often cite her as a grassroots model for climate responsibility.
Condolences have been pouring in since the confirmation of Saalumarada Thimmakka’s death.
ಪದ್ಮಶ್ರೀ ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತೆ ಸಾಲು ಮರದ ತಿಮ್ಮಕ್ಕ ಅವರ ಅಂತ್ಯಕ್ರಿಯೆಯನ್ನು ಸಕಲ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಗೌರವದೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಗುವುದು. ತಿಮ್ಮಕ್ಕ ಅವರ ಅಂತ್ಯಕ್ರಿಯೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕುಟುಂಬದವರು ಎರಡು ಮೂರು ಸ್ಥಳಗಳನ್ನು ಗೊತ್ತು ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು, ಅಂತ್ಯಕ್ರಿಯೆ ಎಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಬೇಕೆಂದು ಸದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಲಾಗುವುದು.
114 ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಕಾಲ ಬದುಕಿದ ಸಾಲು ಮರದ… pic.x.com/4QQBGiNhLD
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 14, 2025
ಇಂದು ನಿಧನರಾದ ಸಾಲುಮರದ ತಿಮ್ಮಕ್ಕನವರ ಪಾರ್ಥಿವ ಶರೀರದ ದರ್ಶನ ಪಡೆದು, ಅಂತಿಮ ನಮನ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಿ ಬಳಿಕ, ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ ಸದಸ್ಯರು ಹಾಗೂ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಾಂತ್ವನ ಹೇಳಿದೆ. pic.x.com/qATG0Z1EH5
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 14, 2025
Deeply saddened by the loss of “Salumara Timmakka”, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described her as a woman whose devotion to tree conservation had made her “immortal”.
Meanwhile, former PM HD Deve Gowda took to X and stated, “The news of the passing of Padma Shri awardee, environmentalist, the Mother of Trees, and centenarian Saalu Marada Thimmakka — who lived a life symbolising “green is life” — has brought immense sorrow.”
“A humanitarian who showed the world that there is no life without greenery, she dedicated her entire life to environmental protection, nurturing trees like her own children. Her service to the environment stands as a model for all of humanity.”
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