MEDARAM (MULUGU DT), FEBRUARY 21, 2024: It was a sea of humanity at the popular and Asia’s biggest khumb mela at Medaram for the biennial Samakka-Sarakka jatara from February 21 to 24 in Mulugu district.
The four-day tribal festival got off to a colourful start with the tribal priests bringing Sarakka (daughter of Samakka) from Kannepally village to the altar at Medaram shrine. The tribal priests after performing special prayers at Kannepally bought her in casket covered with red cloth and bamboo sticks amid drum beats crossing Jampannavaru (rivulet). The priests Kaka Venkateshwarlu, Kaka Kiran Kumar, Kaka Kanakamma, Kaka Bhujanga Rao, Kala Laxmi Bhai, Kaka Saraiah and others all invoking goddess onto them participated in the rituals in bringing the tribal goddess to the main altar amid devotees according grand welcome and some others laid down on the making the priests cross over them on their backs.
Earlier, the devotees have arrived in droves to the Medaram and occupied each available space. They took holy dip in Jampanna vagu before proceeding to the shrine to offer prayers. The devotees were seen offering jaggery (bangaram) and coconuts, sarees and blouses, turmeric and vermilion to the deities at the altars.
Minister for Panchayat Raj and local legislator Anasuya Seethakka participated in the tribal rituals of carrying vermilion on her head and offering the same at the altars amid drum beats. Endowments Commissioner V Anil Kumar, Collector Ila Tripathi and others officials were personally supervising all arrangements including maintenance of sanitation by deploying the sanitary workers.
On Thursday evening, Samakka would arrive from Chilakalagutta to the altar. The devotees would compete to offer prayers at the altars after both Samakka and Sarakka staying on the altars to bless the devotees. President Droupadi Murmu, Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy would visit the Medaram on February 23 to offer prayers.
Devotees were seen participating in ‘edurukollu’ (flying of hens) to appease the tribal goddesses. People were seen sacrificing the birds and goats as an offering at respective shelters in Medaram. The RTC had made elaborate arrangements by deploying more than 6,000 buses for the benefit of devotees from various parts of the Telangana state. Police and district administration had made unprecedented arrangements to avoid any untoward incidents.
