Sammakka Saralamma Jatara
| Sammakka Saralamma Jatara | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Tribal people or Scheduled Tribes |
| Type | Hindu, Tribal |
| Celebrations | 4 days |
| Observances | Offering to the Goddess |
| Date | Biennial - february |
| 2016 date | February 17 to 20[1] |
Sammakka Saralamma Jatara or Medaram Jatara is a tribal festival of honouring the goddesses celebrated in the state of Telangana, India.The Jatara begins at Medaram in Tadvai Mandal in Warangal district.[2] 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. An estimated 10 million people gathered in 2012
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.
There are many legends about the miraculous powers of sammakka . According to a tribal story, about 6-7 centuries ago,that is in the 13th century, some tribal leaders who went for a hunting found a new born girl (Sammakka) emitting enormous light playing amidst tigers. She was taken to their habitation . The head of the tribe adopted her and brought up as a chief tain (She later became the saviour of the tribals of the region) she was married to Pagididda Raju a feudatory tribal chief of Kakatiyas(who ruled the country of Andhra from Warangal City between 1000 AD and 1380 AD).She was blessed with 2 daughters and one son namely Sarakka, Nagulamma and Jampanna respectively.
Ritual
Sammakka Sarakka Jatara is a Hindu tribal festival. It is the time for the largest tribal congregation in the world, held every two years (biennually), with approximately ten million people converging on the place, over a period of four days, which is 90 km from Warangal city.[3] The Sammakka Sarakka Jatra is a State Festival of Govt. of Telangana. Many tribal Devotees from different states of India (M.P, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra, Karnataka and parts of Jharkhand)reach to the festive place to celebrate the Jatara.
People offer bangaram/gold (jaggeryto their weight to the goddesses and take holy bath in Jampanna Vagu (stream).It is a festival with no vedic or brahmanic influence.
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.And in recent times the gatherings in the jatara are roughly near 10 million. This fair is said to be the largest repeating congregation of tribal communities in the world. The traffic jam during the festival sometimes goes as far as 60 km on the Warangal highway.
In 2012, approximately 1 crore people would attend the world's largest tribal festival.
Jampanna vagu
Jampanna vagu is a tributary to River Godavari. According to the history, Jampanna is the tribal warrior and the son of Tribal Goddess Sammakka. The Jampanna vagu took his name as he died in a battle fighting against Kakatiyan Army in that stream .The Jampanna vagu is still red in colour marked with the blood of Jampanna (Scientifically the red colour of the water is attributed to the soil composition). Tribal's believe that taking a holy dip in the red water of Jampanna Vagu reminds them the sacrifice of their gods who save them and also induces courage into their souls.
There is a bridge constructed on top of Jampanna Vagu, known as Jampanna Vagu bridge.
Medaram jatara 2016
The upcoming Medaram Sammakka Sarakka Jathara[4] Live is being organized during 17-20 Feb 2016 and all the arrangements are being underway to welcome the estimated 20 million visitors. People from Telangana, AP, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, MP, Maharastra, Karnataka etc. participate in the event.
Medaram Jatara has become the largest human congregation at a single place. People from all walks of life participate in the festival, viz., rural and urban, tribal and nontribal, educated and uneducated, women and men, children and elders etc. Though it’s called as tribal festival, more than 80% of the visitors are non tribal.
The upcoming Jathara is the first one after the formation of Telangana state and it takes greater significance with special attention by the government. Huge ground with a radius of 10 km is prepared to accommodate the visitors with all the basic arrangements to facilitate the Jathara. Facilities like roads, water, sanitation, health and hygiene are being provided by the government by spending several hundreds of crores (INR). The total expenditure exceeds Rs.250 crores by the government for the Jathara.[5]
The Jathara is being advertised through large scale publicity by the government and its various departments like Telangana Tourism, Tribal Welfare Department and others. The regional broadcasters telecast several news and features about the Jathara, prior to the commencement of it. During the Jathara period, most of the broadcasters beam live telecasting that spans long durations.
The Jathara venue is situated at 250 km from Hyderabad and about 100 km from Warangal. The State Transport Corporation is deploying 4000 buses for plying the visitors, with a total capacity to carry four million passengers. More than one lakh private vehicles are expected to render their services for the Jathara.
References
- ↑ "Sammakka Sarakka Jatara 2016 Dates". TNPlive (Hyderabad). 17 September 2015.
- ↑ "Sammakka Sarakka jatara 2016 Dates". TSI. October 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Sammakka Sarakka jatara begins". The Hindu. February 16, 2006. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008.
- ↑ "Medaram Sammakka saralamma Jatara 2016 Live". TRV News. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
- ↑ Special Correspondent. "Medaram jatara from Feb. 17". The Hindu.