Deep in the Bhadra forests, a teak tree stands tall. Literally. Nicknamed ‘Jagra Joint’, it conceals many a mystery within it and is a fascinating mystery itself. Believed to be the tallest tree in Karnataka, tourists are now waking up to this wonder. ‘Jagra’ is 5.22 m wide and is more than 300 years old. In 1974, the forest department declared it to be a ‘protected tree’. Jagra is a settlement near the forests and hence the name for the tree. The name is prominently displayed on a placard hung on the tree.
But for later Fazal Rahman, a forest conservative officer, this tree would be long dead.
In 1950, employees of the forest department, in a routine exercise, almost cut it down. Rahman who happened to be passing by, fell in love with the tree and stopped them from destructing it.
The tree is slowly becoming a major tourist attraction here.