Red sanders.
Credit: Dh Photo
In the rocky Seshachalam Hills near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh grows a tree found nowhere else in the world – red sanders, locally known as Rakta Chandanam or Yerra Chandanam. The sunlight makes its deep red wood glow, and ancient lore claims its colour comes from the blood of Lord Sri Venkateswara, making it sacred to many.
During a recent visit to Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan invoked the legend, stressing the spiritual significance and the protection of red sanders, which found itself at the centre of a multi-billion-dollar global smuggling industry.
The story of red sanders intertwines the story of spirituality, culture, and crime. The Tollywood film series, Pushpa, inspired by the smuggling trade, earned around Rs 2,000 crore worldwide. But, beyond cinematic glamour, lies a harsh reality of forests being systematically plundered to supply the international clients willing to pay extraordinary sums for this rare timber.
Native to the five Andhra Pradesh districts of Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore, and Prakasam, the species is also cultivated in government and private plantations across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Kerala. Red sanders came under the spotlight in the 1960s when Japanese instrument makers discovered its exceptional qualities for crafting the shamisen. Chinese furniture makers later embraced the wood for premium luxury pieces, elevating it to one of China’s most sought-after timbers. Rising incomes in East Asia raised the demand sharply, transforming the tree into a global commodity. It is now also used in decorative art in the Middle East and in making handcrafted artefacts in the United States.
The red sanders smugglers have built an intricate global web. According to TRAFFIC, an international wildlife trade monitoring network, red sanders is illegally moved from India into China and Japan through Manipur and Mizoram, and neighbouring Myanmar, as well as through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and neighbouring Nepal. Some consignments travel by sea to Malaysia and Singapore, while others move westward through Mumbai and Mundra ports to the UAE. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has identified additional routes through Sri Lanka and the Middle East. Several Chinese nationals have been arrested carrying smaller quantities through Chennai and Cochin airports.
While legal use of the wood includes making furniture, instruments, and dyes, the rumours of special industrial applications persist. “Some reports claim red sanders extracts might absorb nuclear radiation, though scientific proof is absent,” a Tirupati-based ecologist told DH. “Yet arrests linked to this belief suggest some buyers attribute unique properties to it.”
Despite growing awareness, officials admit the full scale of the trade remains poorly understood, with little reliable data on final destinations or value appreciation across its seven-layer illegal supply chain – from coolies who fell the trees to international smugglers at the top.
In the black market, red sanders fetch enormous sums. International prices range from Rs 50 lakh to over Rs 2 crore per tonne, depending on quality, while domestic black-market rates hover between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 30 lakh.
The violence associated with the trade has often proved deadly. On April 7, 2015, as many as 20 alleged woodcutters hired by smugglers were killed in near-simultaneous encounters in the Seshachalam forests. Police said the men attacked them with stones and sickles, forcing them to open fire in self-defence.
To curb escalating smuggling, the Andhra Pradesh government set up the Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) in February 2015. With eight active teams based in Tirupati, Railway Koduru, Kadapa, and Sanipai, the task force is now preparing an action plan modelled on anti-Naxal operations. “We are working on a blueprint,” RSASTF Superintendent of Police P. Srinivas told DH. “Once approvals come, we will launch the operation.”
This year, the task force registered around 54 cases and arrested roughly 229 people, booking six under the Preventive Detention Act for the first time. Srinivas noted minimal local involvement, with smugglers bringing in labourers from Tamil Nadu to work deep inside forests.