Medaram is a small village in the forest area of the Mulugu taluk of
Warangal district. Here Sammakka Jatara is celebrated once in two years
on a very large - scale for three days before Magha.
Purnima Sammaka is a tribal goddess and the patrons and the priests
are Koyas. All the tribals of Mulugu area and the thousands of other
Hindus congregate there during the celebrations. There is no permanent
idol of the deity. A Koya tribal boy who gets a vision before the festival
roams about in the forest for a week without food and sleep and finally
brings the goddess in the farm of vermilion caskets, one representing
the main duty sammakka and the other her daughter Sarakka both tied
to a piece of bamboo. This is installed on an earthen platform raised
under a tree. Animals are sacrificed and vows are redeemed, intoxicants
are widely used. Hundreds of people who are often possessed by
the goddess come there dancing ecstatically throughout their journey.
The special offering to the deity is jaggery which collects in huge
piles. Those who fulfill vows offer jaggery equal to their weight and
jaggery is distributed as prasadam.
More than lakh of people congregate every day.
