Telangana’s Medaram Jatara, considered to be Asia’s largest tribal fair celebrated over four days every two years, began Wednesday at Medaram village of Mulugu district.
Over 1.25 crore people are expected to congregate at the village to celebrate the valour of Adivasi icons Sammakka and Sarakka, who are considered to be protectors of the community. The fair will culminate on February 19.
The legend has it that about eight centuries ago, tribal king Medaraju, who ruled the habitations along river Godavari, failed to pay a royalty to the Kakatiya kings of the region due to severe drought. This was taken as defiance to the Kakatiya rulers who invaded the land leading to the death of Medaraju and his daughters Sammakka and Sarakka in the fight.
The Adivasi community believes that both Sammakka and Sarakka turned into caskets of vermillion and while the former was found near a bamboo grove on a hillock, the latter was found at Kannepalli village, 4 km away from Medaram.
Once in two years, the tribals offer prayers at the bamboo grove and bring back a casket of vermillion and bamboo sticks wrapped in red cloth, symbolising the return of Sammakka and Sarakka.
Both are placed under an Indian elm tree at Medaram village to begin the four-day festivities, after which they are returned to the forest. During the festivities, the tribals offer jaggery equal to their own weight as a replacement of gold. They also offer cut pieces of red cloth, vermillion and turmeric to the deities.
Apart from the participation of tribals from across the country in huge numbers, the fair also attracts non-Adivasis. The state government has spent around Rs 364 crore in the arrangements for the biennial fair. The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned Rs 2.26 crore for Medaram Jatara.
The Mulugu district administration and the police have arranged for drinking water, sanitation, parking grounds, traffic diversions, police outposts, etc. As many as 9,000 policemen have been deployed on the ground to ensure law and order and security for VVIP guests.
As many as 382 CCTV cameras and two drone cameras will monitor the swelling crowds. The police have set up a command and control centre and 20 display boards for the assistance of the crowd. Fifty public information centres have also been set up to guide the devotees.
The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has set up a temporary bus stand at Medaram village and will operate 3,845 buses from different parts of the state. While TSRTC hopes to transport 21 lakh passengers a day during the four-day festival, the administration expects nearly 3.5 lakh private vehicles too.
Between February 14 and 20, the state government is also operating shuttle helicopter services to Medaram from Hanumakonda at Rs 19,999 per person. Charter services are also available to Medaram from Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar and Karimnagar for Rs 75,000, Rs 1 lakh, and Rs 75,000, respectively.
