WARANGAL: A tiny, sleepy village deep inside the Tadvai forest comes to life this time of year to celebrate the world’s biggest tribal festival, the Sammakka and Saralamma Jatara.
Situated about 100 km from Warangal and 240 km from Hyderabad, the village of Medaram hosts the jatara which is celebrated by tribal communities commemorating the sacrifice made by a mother and daughter, Sammakka and Saralamma, while fighting the Kakatiya rulers against an unjust law. The Jatara attracts more than one crore people from Tel-angana and neighbouring states.
Though the actual jatara is scheduled to be held fr-om January 31 to February 3 this year, devotees have started pouring into the village to pay obeisance to the tribal deities. During the days of the jatara, Medaram will be buzzing with more than 25 lakh people per day. To avoid the rush during that time, devotees come early and complete their rituals. The traditional ritual is raising a temporary shelter, offering a hen or a goat along with Bangaram (jaggery) to the deities, and taking a bath in the holy Jampanna Vagu.
Rows of temporary sho-ps spring up to cater to the visitors. Koya doras with peacock feathers tucked in their headgear, fortune tellers, quacks selling herbs and roots welcome the devotees. Stalls selling jaggery, coconuts, live hens, flowers, turmeric, and toys line the road leading to the temple. People rent hens that are swung in the air as an offering for the deities.
“I set up my shop here every year. I usually come about one or two weeks before the jatara begins, but this time as the devotees have already started coming in large numbers, I too came early,” said P. Bhadri from Bhupalapa-lli, who runs a novelty shop back home.
The state government sanctioned '88 crore for facilities such as toilets, drinking water, laying roads etc.
