Malkangiri: Anyone visiting Matapaka village from Titiberi area of Chalanguda panchayat under Sadar block here cannot just ignore a gigantic sal tree standing like an old guardian to welcome them.
For the tribal villagers here, this tree — that has lived for more than two hundred years already — is revered no less than any pantheon of their gods and goddesses.
The tree stands more than 100 feet tall and has a girth of about 22 feet with honey hives seen all over it. The villagers never pluck leaves or tweak branches from it.
Tribal-dominated Malkangiri district is hub to many valuable trees and medicinal plants. However, the numbers of trees have been rapidly declining owing to rampant deforestation and felling of trees for road expansion, construction among others.
In such a scenario, worshipping of the 200-year-old tree by locals has become the talk of the town. While some call it superstition, forest and nature lovers appreciate the efforts of the villagers in saving the age-old tree.
Sal trees play an important role in the livelihood of tribals. So, that possible explains the main reason why the villagers here consider the tree to be sacred.
Bhima Padiami, a senior citizen of the village says, “My father and grandfathers have been worshipping the tree. While there are no sal trees in our area, mysteriously this tree is surviving in our village for decades. It is a gift from God to us villagers.”
“God rests in the tree. People seek blessings from it in order to succeed in their endeavour whenever they venture out of this village,” he further added.
When contacted, Malkangiri forest range officer Basudev Nayak said, “I respect the feeling of the villagers. This is among the oldest trees in the district. The forest department has also made a fence around it to protect it from smugglers”.