Darshan to be free of cost at Medaram

WARANGAL: The Endowments department has decided to ensure a hassle-free occasion by keeping darshan at this year’s Medaram Jatara free of cost and have only one queue for everyone. Devotees will also be debarred from offering jaggery equivalent to their own weight through measurement near the altars. This rule will not apply to VVIPs though, such as the chief minister.  Also, the jaggery, which is sold as prasadam, will not be on sale for devotees this year.

“Last year, we had a counter for distribution of prasadam, but the whole place became chaotic, with devotees competing to get it. So not selling prasadam and not pricing darshan tickets could cost the Endowments department more than Rs 1 crore, but we have taken this decision, keeping in mind the phenomenal increase in the number of devotees to the shrine,” Endowments department deputy commissioner and executive officer of Medaram Jatara T. Ramesh Babu told Deccan Chronicle. “Every year, devotees start visiting the temple only about a month before the actual fair. But this time, the influx of devotees has begun from the month of November itself,” he added.

The Endowments department earns a revenue of Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore during the Jatara season. Endowments minister A. Indrakaran Reddy expressed satisfaction over the arrangements and asked devotees to co-operate with the officials.

Tribal fair a boon for temples:

The four-day biannual Sammakka-Sara-lamma Jatara of Medaram has been proving a boon to two prominent temples of the district. Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Devasthanam (SRRD) of Vemulawada and Sri Anjaneya Swamy Devasthanam in Kondagattu are registering a considerable rise in their revenues following heavy inflow of devotees to these shrines from the past few weeks, thanks to the tribal fair.

As a tradition, devotees of various districts of the state and neighbouring Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh throng these two historic temples before starting their pilgrimage to Medaram. It is believed that goddess Sammakka’s husband Padigidde  Raju was  nephew of Mediraja, who ruled over Polavasa kingdom during 11th century A.D. At  present,  Polavasa is called as Polasa located near Jagtial town. Additional queue lines were erected at Vemulawada.