Medaram Jathara

Medaram :
 

Sammakka Saralamma Jatara or famously known as Medaram Jatara is one of the biggest  tribal festival in India attended by Lakhs or Crores of people from nuke and corner of India irrespective of their caste and religion, honouring the goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma celebrated in the state of Telangana, India. The Jatara begins at Medaram in Tadvai mandal in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. Medaram is a remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary.

Jatara is celebrated during the time the goddesses of the tribals are believed to visit them. It is believed that after Kumbha Mela, the Medaram jatara attracts the largest number of devotees in the country and in celebrated once in two years.

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, and the head of the tribe adopted her and brought up as a chief. She later became the saviour of the tribals of the region. She was married to Pagididda Raju, a feudatory tribal chief of Kakatiyas. She was blessed with 2 daughters and one son namely Sarakka, Nagulamma and Jampanna respectively

It commemorates the fight of a mother and daughter, Sammakka and Saralamma, with the reigning rulers against an unjust law and lost her husband, son and daughters.  Sammakka enters war and fights and causes lot of damage to kakatiya army. Surprised by her Bravery And Valour the Kakatiya Prime Minister visited war ravaged Koya kingdom with proposal of peace and offered Sammakka a place in the emperor’s harem as the chief queen.  Samakka turned down the offer and resolved to continue the fight to avenge the dead.   The battle continued and Sammakka was seriously wounded .  Samakka told her people that as long as they remembered her, she would protect them.  Then, she cursed the Kaktiya dynasty to perish  And with that wounded body proceeded towards Chilakala gutta and disappeared  in the forest.  The grieving Koyas searched for their queen all they found were a red ochre box(a container of vermilion), her  bangles … and the pug marks of a huge full grown tigress, exactly the same place where she was found as a infant by the koyas.  The Kakatiya dynasty came to an end very soon.

Jatara:

Sammakka Sarakka Jatara is a Hindu tribal festival, held at about 100 km from Warangal city. It is the time for the largest tribal congregation in the world, held every two years (biennial), with approximately ten million people converging on the place, over a period of four days.Many tribal and other devotees from different states of India reach the Medaram to celebrate this festival. People offer bangaram/gold (jaggery) to their weight to the goddesses and take holy bath in Jampanna Vagu (stream). 

 

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 red color of water in the  Jampanna vagu said to become with the blood of Jampanna. 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.