Karnataka

Age: ~500 years
Type: Banyan
Highlight: The tree 1,000 sprawling limbs spread across 3 acres, resembling a mini-forest.

Tucked beside the Kumatagi-Vijayapura road stands a 500-year-old banyan tree, believed to be the oldest in Vijayapura. With over 1,000 sprawling limbs, this green colossus spreads across nearly 3 acres, forming a natural canopy that resembles a mini-forest. Revered by locals and visitors alike, it shelters a small Hanuman temple at its base, reflecting its sacred connection to village life. Despite the absence of signboards or formal protection, the tree thrives as a community landmark, offering shade, reverence and a touch of the eternal in the ever-changing landscape of northern Karnataka.

Age: ~100 years
Type: Ziziphus Jujuba (Ber)
Highlight: The tree was recognized as a heritage tree by the Paramparika Vruksha Rakshana Samiti.

Rooted in the courtyard of Tamil Sangham on Vani Vilasa Road, a 100-year-old ber tree weathers the seasons with quiet strength. This species of Ziziphus jujuba was identified as a heritage tree by the Paramparika Vruksha Rakshana Samiti and has survived time and loss. Though modest in size, the tree’s historical and cultural significance anchors it as a living monument, quietly enduring in a fast-changing city.

Age: ~190 years
Type: Ficus Benghalensis (Banyan)
Highlight: Oral history notes Sangolli Rayanna was hanged from the tree’s limbs in 1831.

Near the village of Nandagad in Karnataka’s Belagavi district grows a 190-year-old banyan tree, deeply entwined with the story of Sangolli Rayanna, the fearless warrior who defied British rule. Oral history claims he was hanged from its limbs in 1831, and the tree has since become an honored symbol of martyrdom. A small memorial and shrine stand nearby, while locals tie cradles to its branches in symbolic prayer. Weathered yet unwavering, this heritage tree remains a sacred marker of resistance, remembrance and regional pride.

Age: ~150 years
Type: Plumeria (Frangipani)
Highlight: The tree’s existence carries the charm and legacy of the 15th century.

Amid the monumental grandeur of Hampi’s Vijaya Vittala Temple stands a quiet marvel, a 150-year-old Frangipani tree, known locally as the Champa. The tree is located near the southern corner beside the famed stone chariot and complements the temple’s Dravidian stonework with its soft blossoms and fragrant air. Though younger than the temple itself, which dates back to the 15th century, the tree has grown into the complex’s living memory. Beloved by visitors and locals alike, it remains a fragrant sentinel, rooted in history, blooming in stillness.

Age: ~400 years
Type: Ficus benghalensis (Banyan)
Highlight: A canopy across 3 acres with hundreds of aerial roots.

Dodda Alada Mara, Bengaluru’s iconic 400-year-old banyan tree, spreads its canopy across 3 acres in Kethohalli village. Once anchored by a grand central trunk, it now appears as a grove of trees, supported by hundreds of aerial roots after the main root died around 2000. Resembling a mini forest, it welcomes picnickers, cyclists, photographers and curious travelers on the Bengaluru–Mysore route. With pathways, shaded seating and a spiritual atmosphere, it remains a beloved weekend getaway and a silent witness to centuries of change and continuity.

Age: ~200 years
Type: Ficus Benghalensis (Banyan)
Highlight: Efforts by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority are underway to create a cultural retreat around the tree’s canopy.

Just 12 km from Mysuru on T Narasipura Road stands the 200-year-old banyan tree of Chikkahalli, revered by locals as Muneshwara, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Known as Dodda Alada Mara, this sacred tree is both a spiritual site and a gathering place, where villagers offer prayers barefoot under its vast, shaded canopy. As urban construction grows nearby, efforts by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority are underway to preserve its sanctity and develop it into a cultural retreat. Rooted in devotion and tradition, the tree continues to thrive as a symbol of reverence and rural heritage.

Age: 1500-5000 years
Type: Ficus benghalensis (Banyan)
Highlight: Local legends link these tree group to Lord Krishna’s era.

In the town of Savanur, Karnataka, three colossal baobab trees, locally known as Dodda Hunise Mara, stand as rare botanical wonders. Estimated to be between 500 to 1,500 years old, local legends even link them to the age of Lord Krishna. With trunks measuring up to 18 meters in girth, these trees are among the largest of their kind in India and the only known baobab grove in the country. Enclosed by fences and marked with heritage boards, they draw visitors as living monuments of myth, memory, and ecological marvel.

Age: ~600 years
Type: Adansonia Digitata
Highlight: One of the oldest trees in the Deccan territory.

This 600-year-old Adansonia Digitata, popularly known as the “baobab” or “dodda hunise mara,” stands stoic near the iconic Ibrahim Roza monument in Bijapur. With a barrel-like trunk that spans nearly 9 meters in diameter, it is believed to have been brought centuries ago from Africa or Arabia, its seeds likely carried by traders or Sufi saints. Local communities revere the tree as sacred, often tying threads around it for blessings. Today, it continues to tower silently, witnessing centuries of Deccan history as a botanical relic wrapped in myth and memory.

Age: ~200 years
Type: Ceiba Pentandra (White Silk Cotton Tree)
Highlight: One of the oldest trees in Bengaluru, which once provided pillows and wood for matchsticks.

One of Lalbagh Botanical Garden’s oldest residents is the 200-year-old White Silk Cotton tree. Rising with grandeur, its thick trunk buttressed like ancient architecture. Come spring, its green pods burst to release soft white fibre, floating across the park like monsoon mist. Locally known as Dudi Mara, this Ceiba pentandra once provided cotton for pillows and wood for matchsticks. Today, it is celebrated for its surreal beauty, ecological value and curious form, and with roots and branches blending in sculpture-like twists. It’s a cultural symbol of resilience and renewal, offering both shade and history in Bengaluru’s most cherished green space.

Age: ~100 years
Type: Bombax Ceiba (Red Silk Cotton)
Highlight: The tree is maintained by the Horticulture Department of Mysuru.

Just beyond Mysuru Palace’s north gate, a 100-year-old red silk cotton tree rises from Curzon Park, its scarlet blossoms announcing spring each February. Revered locally as Kempu Booruga Mara, its branches offer refuge to monkeys, deer and flocks of birds. The tree’s striking flowers give way to cotton-like pods that float across the palace gardens come March. Recognized as a heritage tree and protected by the Horticulture Department, it bridges ecological richness with historical charm, anchoring Mysuru’s green legacy beside its royal past.

Age: ~176 years
Type: Albizia Saman (Rain Tree)
Highlight: One of the oldest trees in Bengaluru, planted in 1848.

Towering within the garden of the Taj West End, Bengaluru, stands a 176-year-old rain tree planted in 1848. This heritage is one of the oldest in the city. Measuring nearly 7 meters around, this Albizia saman anchors the hotel’s verdant charm. Home to eagles and admired by guests, the tree is more than a natural wonder. It’s a living memory threaded into the architecture, ambience and soul of a timeless retreat.

Age: ~1000 years
Type: Tamarindus indica (Tamarind)
Highlight: The tree plays a central role in the Ravutaraya-Mallayya Jatrotsava.

Estimated to be over 1,000 years old, the tamarind tree of Devara Hippargi rises beside ancient temples and the revered Mallayya shrine. It plays a central role in the Ravutaraya-Mallayya Jatrotsava, a celestial festival celebrating divine marriage. Revered in regional lore and historical surveys alike, the tree is both a spiritual marker and ecological marvel. Despite its age, it continues to flourish, its wide canopy offering shade to festival-goers and temple visitors year-round. Still thriving, unfenced and unmarked, it remains a living emblem of tradition, worship and regional heritage.

Footage of the tree on this youtube video

Age: ~885 years
Type: Tamarindus indica
Highlight: One of Karnataka’s oldest trees since ancient dynasties.

This 885-year-old tamarind tree, believed to be Karnataka’s oldest, grows unassumingly by the Mallaya Temple highway. Twisted and towering, it has stood since the days of ancient dynasties, long before modern Karnataka took shape. Despite its age and silent grandeur, the tree lacks any formal protection: no signage, no fencing, only passing glances from those who drive by. And yet, it thrives. As cars speed past and time rushes forward, this ancient sentinel remains a rare, living link to Karnataka’s deep-rooted natural heritage.

Age: ~350 years
Type: Tamarindus indica (Tamarind)
Highlight: One of the oldest trees of Mysuru, recognized by the Paramparika Vruksha Rakshana Samiti.

This 350-year-old tamarind tree stands elegantly near an old nursery in Manasagangothri, within the University of Mysuru. Its wide limbs provide shade and habitat. However, local legend claims it sprouted from seeds marking buried treasure during a long-forgotten war. The nearby Chennakeshava temple, now partially lost to time, adds homage to the space with its silent stone idols. Recognized by the Paramparika Vruksha Rakshana Samiti, this tree remains a rooted guardian of Mysuru’s natural and mythic heritage.

Age: ~300 years
Type: Ficus Benghalensis (Banyan)
Highlight: The tree was recently granted ‘C’ grade tourism status, and draws pilgrims, botanists and wanderers alike.

In the village of Shirsangi, Kolhapur, a 300-year-old banyan tree sprawls across one-and-a-half acres, forming a vast network of roots and branches that intertwine like nature’s own architecture. Regarded as Maharashtra’s second-largest banyan tree, it thrives as part of a sacred grove dedicated to the deity Gothandev. The tree is steeped in local beliefs that forbid disrespectful acts near its base because of its cultural significance. Recently granted ‘C’ grade tourism status, this natural marvel draws pilgrims, botanists and wanderers alike. The Vata Foundation supports its continued recognition and preservation as a living monument of ecological and spiritual heritage.

Age: ~114 years
Type: Ficus benghalensis (Banyan)
Highlight: 385 banyan trees nurtured with decades of care.

Along a 4.5-kilometre stretch between Hulikal and Kudur in Karnataka stands a living monument to determination: 385 banyan trees planted by the now 114-year-old Saalumarada Thimmakka. Once a barren roadside, this lush green corridor is the result of decades of care, with each tree nurtured like a child. With no formal training and limited resources, Thimmakka’s hands shaped one of the state’s most inspiring ecological corridors. Today, the trees rise tall along the highway, offering shade, shelter, and inspiration to all who pass. Recognized globally, the grove is not just a greenbelt, it’s a story of passion, perseverance and the power of one woman to transform barren earth into breathing heritage.

Age: ~20 million years
Type: Petrified Coniferous (the fossilized remains of a coniferous tree)
Highlight: The fossil serves as a rare geological window into prehistoric ecosystems.

Lying quietly within Lalbagh Botanical Gardens is a tree unlike any other, a petrified coniferous trunk believed to be 20 million years old. This tree fossil was sourced from the National Fossil Wood Park in Thiruvakkarai and serves as a rare geological window into prehistoric ecosystems. Though it no longer bears leaves or rings, its stony form still echoes the life it once held. The fossil is preserved in open display and stands in stark contrast to the lush greenery around it. As visitors pause beside it, the fossil connects today’s garden paths to prehistoric forests lost in time.

Age: ~160 years
Type: Ficus Carica (Fig)
Highlight: The tree was planted during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar.

Nestled near the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion in Mysuru stands the Wadiyar Peepal, a 160-year-old sacred fig tree once worshipped by the Mysuru royal family. The tree was planted during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s era and remains deeply rooted in the cultural and spiritual fabric of the city. Its wide canopy and sacred presence mark it as one of Mysuru’s heritage flora, alongside the famed red silk cotton and banyan trees of Chikkahalli. Revered for generations, the Peepal tree endures as a symbol of noble admiration, faith and ecological continuity.