Mega 'Medaram Maha Jathara' of tribal goddesses begins in Telangana

The fourday Maha Jathara of tribal goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma dubbed as one of the largest Adivasi spiritual congregations in the world got underway at Medaram in this districtAn estimated three crore devotees are expected to attend the biennial Maha Jathara this year official sources saidThe tribal priests installed deities Saralamma Govindaraju and Pagididdaraju at the gaddelu altars on Wednesday night as per traditionsGoddess Sammakka would be installed at the altar on January 29The devotees took holy bath in the rivulet Jampanna Vagu at Medaram They performed worship by making idols of deities with sand collected in the rivuletA devotional atmosphere pervaded the Maha Jathara site as some women devotees were possessed by the goddessesThe devotees carried jaggery for offering to the deitiesObserving that the number of devotees visiting the Maha Jathara has increased substantially over the years state Panchayat Raj Minister D Anasuya Seethakka said about 20 lakh people are estimated to have visited Medaram during the last several daysUnion Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram would visit the Maha Jathara on January 29Telangana Tribal Welfare Minister Adluri Lakshman Kumar had told the Union Minister about the events signficance and invited him to attend it a state government release saidElaborate arrangements have been made for the Maha Jathara that began about six months agoChief Minister A Revanth Reddy on January 19 inaugurated the renovated shrine of goddesses Sammakka and SaralammaThe state government reconstructed the altar of the tribal deities Sammakka Saralamma Govindaraju and Pagididda Raju spending about Rs 101 croreIt undertook development works with Rs 150 crore for the convenience of devotees visiting the Maha Jathara 2026As many as 21 government departments and about 42000 personnel are involved in organising the festival including arrival and departure of devotees provision of basic facilities security cleanliness and medical facilitiesThe government has also organised medical camps ambulances and bike ambulances to attend to medical emergencies during the festivalMaking use of digital technology the state government has launched an official website a mobile application and a Whatsapp chatbot for the convenience of devoteesAs part of safety and security arrangements the government installed a safety module in the app which include sending an SOS alert in emergencies and registration of complaintsThe government has also made plans to avoid use of plastic in the festival and to adopt ecofriendly measuresThe Maha Jathara is celebrated in Medaram during the time the goddesses of the tribals is believed to visit themMedaram is a remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary a part of Dandakaranya the largest surviving forest belt in MuluguThe Jathara commemorates the revolt led by the motherdaughter duo of Sammakka and Saralamma against imposition of taxes on the tribal populace during a period of drought by the Kakatiya rulers in the 12th centuryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever