the story So Far:
Medaram, a small village in the Mulugu district of Telangana’s tribal belt, is getting ready to host Sammakka-Sarakka. jatarAs the country’s largest tribal fair, in the 12th century to commemorate a tribal revolt led by a mother-daughter duo, Sammakka and Saralamma, against taxation on tribal people during drought conditions by the then Kakatiya rulers billed to.
mega four day jatarBeginning on February 16 at Medaram, it is perhaps the only tribal fair dedicated to pay homage to the tribal warriors who made the supreme sacrifice while protecting the rights of the tribal people. It happens once in two years.
jatar It epitomizes the courage displayed by the mother-daughter duo along with other family members in their struggle against an autocratic regime intent on collecting taxes from the people of Medaram during turbulent times induced by severe drought. The holy site at Medaram and its surrounding Jampanna Vagu, named after the tribal martyr Jampanna, the son of Sammakka, comes alive with lakhs of devotees over the course of four days. jatar,
Why do tribals come to Medaram?
Tribals (and others) flock during Medaram jatar Not only from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh but also from Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
Sammakka and Saralamma are revered by devotees as tribal goddesses, and devotees make offerings to them to bestow health and wealth. all rituals of jatar The site is organized in line with tribal traditions under the auspices of tribal priests.
Legend has it that in the 12th century, Medaraju, a tribal chieftain of the ‘Polavasa’ region (modern-day undivided Karimnagar district) found a child in the forest while hunting. He named her Sammakka, raised her and got her married to Pagdigidda Raju, a tribal leader of Medaram, a feudatory of the Kakatiya rulers. Sammakka had three children, Nagulamma, Saralamma (Sammakka) and Jampanna.
When the then Kakatiya king insisted on the payment of taxes by the people of Medaram despite the drought, Padigidda Raju refused to obey his decree. Enraged by this, the king declared war on Medaram and deployed a large contingent of his army.
Distracted by the military might of the Kakatiya rule, Sammakka and her husband joined the war. Unfazed by the death of her husband, daughter and son, Sammakka continued the fight and was mortally wounded. She disappeared in the nearby Chilkalgutta hill and the locals found a container of vermilion on the hill. He believed that Sammakka had turned into a goddess to protect him from her divinity.
jatar The Koya symbolizes the traditions and heritage of the tribal people.
The question is – will COVID-19 allow it? jatar to take place?
A special feature of the tribal fair is the offering of jaggery on altars (bamboo poles) to the tribal goddess. It includes the usual features of tribal fairs – the dying devotees going to a samadhi, the sacrifice of birds and goats, in addition to the traditional drum beats accompanied by folk songs.
The spurt in COVID-19 cases in various parts of Telangana, mainly in the then composite Warangal district, has become a cause of concern for the administration. An uphill task awaits for health and other departments to ensure strict implementation of COVID-19 safety norms during the four days jatarWhen lakhs of devotees are expected to gather.
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