Top Leaders Join Devotees at Medaram Maha Jatara, Offer Prayers to Tribal Goddesses

Telangana | 30 January 2026 The grand Maha Jatara of tribal goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma witnessed the presence of several prominent leaders on Friday as lakhs of devotees gathered at Medaram in Telangana’s Mulugu district. Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, along with other dignitaries, offered special prayers on the third day of the biennial festival, which is considered one of the largest tribal congregations in the world. Along with the Governor, former Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, state Endowments Minister Konda Surekha, British Deputy High Commissioner to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Gareth Wynn Owen, and Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy took part in the rituals. As per tradition, the leaders performed Tulabharam by offering jaggery equal to their body weight to the deities. Sharing his experience, British Deputy High Commissioner Gareth Wynn Owen posted on social media, saying, "Fantastic to be at the Sri Sammakka-Sarlamma Jatara at Medaram and participate in the Tulabharam. Not every day are you weighed in jaggery." State Panchayat Raj Minister D Anasuya Seethakka later briefed the diplomat about recent developments at the sacred altars, according to an official release. The scale of the festival remains massive, with around 80 lakh devotees visiting the shrine on Wednesday and Thursday alone, as stated by state Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. Thousands of pilgrims also took a holy dip in the Jampanna Vagu stream, which holds deep religious significance during the Jatara. The festival, being held from January 28 to 31, has seen extensive preparations by the state government. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier inaugurated the renovated shrine of Sammakka and Saralamma on January 19. The government rebuilt the altars of Sammakka, Saralamma, Govindaraju and Pagididda Raju at a cost of around ₹101 crore, while additional development works worth ₹150 crore were carried out to improve facilities for devotees. To manage the massive crowd, about 21 government departments and nearly 42,000 personnel have been deployed for security, crowd control, cleanliness and medical services. Medical camps, ambulances and bike ambulances have also been stationed across the area. Held in the forested region of the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, the Maha Jatara commemorates the historic revolt led by Sammakka and Saralamma against unjust taxation imposed on tribal communities during the 12th century under the Kakatiya rulers. Faith and Tradition Shine as Leaders Join Devotees at Medaram Maha Jatara The sacred Maha Jatara of tribal goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma witnessed a huge gathering on Friday as lakhs of devotees reached Medaram in Telangana’s Mulugu district. Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, along with several senior leaders, offered prayers on the third day of the festival, which is deeply rooted in tribal faith and tradition. Former Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, state Endowments Minister Konda Surekha, British Deputy High Commissioner to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Gareth Wynn Owen, and DGP B Shivadhar Reddy were also present during the rituals. Following age-old customs, the leaders performed Tulabharam by offering jaggery equal to their body weight to the goddesses. Sharing his experience, Gareth Wynn Owen wrote on social media, "Fantastic to be at the Sri Sammakka-Sarlamma Jatara at Medaram and participate in the Tulabharam. Not every day are you weighed in jaggery." State Panchayat Raj Minister D Anasuya Seethakka later explained the recent developments at the temple altars to the visiting diplomat, as mentioned in an official statement. The festival, being held from January 28 to 31, has seen massive arrangements by the state government. Around 80 lakh devotees visited the shrine in the first two days, while many took a holy dip in the Jampanna Vagu stream. The government has upgraded temple infrastructure, deployed thousands of staff for safety and cleanliness, and set up medical services to ensure smooth conduct of the event, which honours the historic struggle of Sammakka and Saralamma against injustice centuries ago.