Dakshin Kannada Park Reopens With New Facilities Honouring Tulu's Cultural Heroes

Padumale in Puttur taluk, Dakshina Kannada, is recognised as the birthplace of the legendary hero of Tulu Nadu, Koti Chennaya. It also has a park for medicinal plants. Koti and Chennayya are Tulu Nadu’s cultural folk heroes and legendary twins.

According to the Times of India, their birthplace Padumale in Puttur taluk has been designated a heritage site, and the forest department even established a medicinal garden in remembrance of their mother Deyi Baidethi.

In addition to Padumale, the park is stretched on 9.5 acres of land. About 6.75 acres of the 9.5-acre mound have been walled off to contain a variety of 500 or more medicinal plants. The primary goal of this park is to raise awareness of therapeutic plants among the local populace.

Who Is Deyi Baidethi?

The park has been named after Deyi Baideti, a legendary woman believed to be an expert in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicine. She was famous for treating people with traditional medicines.

Padumale, named after the former Ballala ruler Padumale Ballal (Permale in Tulu), whose reign lasted 500 years, is located in Puttur taluk, 70 kilometres from Mangaluru district headquarters.

According to Local18, Ballala was suffering from leg pain, and when no one could help, Dei Baidedi, the mother of Koti and Chennayya, used ayurvedic medicine to cure the emperor. Her pain-relieving method impressed the king as well as the people during that time.

What are the plants that grow in the park?

There are more than 500 plants with medicinal properties including Rudraksha, Buraga, Bamboo, Kadamba commonly called burflower-tree, Ashoka, Wild Cinnamon, Nellie, or the Indian gooseberry among others.

This park, which was open to the public in 2016, was closed to visitors four or five years ago due to unavoidable circumstances. The park also has an idol of Dei Baidedi, which is a recreation of the hut where she lived.

The park contains many exotic, medicinal, and native tree species. The park contains cutouts that represent the importance of trees. According to The Hindu, it also features a separate play area for youngsters and a volleyball court. There is a separate hall for providing information on various plant species. This park also includes a watchtower and food vendors, reports add.