| Sammakka Saralamma Jatara | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | now by general as well as Tribal people, though started as tribal festival in the 12th century |
| Type | Hindu, Tribal |
| Begins | Feb 8 |
| Ends | Feb11 |
| Date | Biennial - January/Feb |
| Celebrations | 4 days |
| Observances | Offering to the Goddess |
Sammakka Saralamma Jatara or Medaram Jatara is a tribal festival of honouring the goddesses celebrated in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, India.[1] It commemorates the fight of a mother and daughter, Sammakka and Saralamma, with the reigning rulers against an unjust law. It is believed that after Kumbha Mela, the Medaram jatara attracts the largest number of devotees in the country.During the past few decades, it has transformed into a major festival with participation from all walks of life, faiths, rural as well as urban. The festival attracts a minimum of 1.2 crores of devotes. Though the main festival is only for four days, people start visiting a week earlier too.People now come from all parts of Andhra Pradesh. It is believed that at least one person from Telangana from each family visit Medaram for jatara.The greatness of the festival is that the worship is of the warriors and whose history is well recorded. Hence the event is not just religious ritual, but attained the celebration of the bravery for safeguarding the motherland.
It is celebrated in Medaram during the time the goddesses of the tribals is believed to visit them. Medaram is a remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dandakaranya, the largest surviving forest belt in the Deccan.
Sammakka Sarakka Jatara is the time for the largest tribal religious congregation in the world, held every two years (biennually), with approximately twelve million people converging on the place, over a period of three days, which is 90 km from Warangal city.[2]
People offer bangaram (jaggery) of a quantity equal to their weight to the goddesses.
It is a festival with no vedic or brahmanic influence. Goats and hens are sacrificed and liquor is consumed.
Until 1998, the only way to reach Medaram was by a bullock cart. In 1998 the state government declared the 1000-yr old festival as official and laid down a motorable road.
In 2008, nearly 8 million people were estimated to have attended the festival. This fair is said to be the largest repeating congregation of people in the world. The traffic jam during the festival sometimes goes as far as 60 km on the Warangal highway.