Sammakka Saralamma : An Auspicious & Sacred Festival Of Tribe
Sammakka Saralamma : The Medaram Fair is indeed famous as the biggest tribal festival in Asia. It is held biennially in the village of Medaram in the Tadwai Mandal of Warangal district, Telangana. The fair attracts a large number of people who set up camps for their stay and participate in various rituals and festivities. In addition to people from Telangana, tribes from Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh also visit the fair.
Sammakka Saralamma & Origin
The origin of the festival and the deities, Sammakka and Saralamma, have different stories associated with it. According to tribal priests and elders, during the 12th century (Kakatiya period), the tribes lived independently in the area. One day, the Bayyakkapet tribe, known as Chanda Vamsiyas, went into the forest to collect Elleru gaddas. There, they discovered a baby girl amidst wild animals.
Surprisingly, the wild animals did not harm the child. The tribesmen brought the baby, named her Sammakka, and raised her. However, as Sammakka grew older, it was discovered that she turned into a tiger and survived by hunting and eating animals. Disturbed by this revelation, the tribesmen asked Sammakka to leave the village, and she disappeared into the nearby hill.
Originally, the fair was held in Bayyakkapet, and people used to flock to the mound every two years to bring Sammakka, who is considered Shaktisvarupini (incarnation of the goddess), to the village. However, it became difficult for tribal priests to travel from Medaram to Bayyakkapet to perform the rituals. Consequently, in 1935, the Siddaboyina clan took over the responsibility of organizing the fair in the vicinity of Medaram. The Chanda clans still worship near Gaddela in Bayyakkapet.
During the fair, the tribal people perform various rituals and pujas. The fair starts with the placement of a bamboo stick, known as “Vanam,” on the benches. The tribal women clean and decorate the gadde (pad), which is a small mound, with Rangoli. The puja is predominantly performed by men, and part of the festival involves the sacrifice of meat, liquor, gold, and alcohol as offerings to appease the gods.
Devotees participate in feasting on the sacrificed meat and consuming alcohol during the fair. A significant aspect of the fair is the “gold offering,” where devotees offer jaggery, symbolizing gold, to the deities as prayers. This jaggery is then used to fill the fields.
Many devotees wear traditional attire such as Odibiyam, sarees, and dhotis during the fair. Some devotees even plan to give birth in Medaram during the festival, and if a boy is born, they are named Sammayya and Sarayya, while girls are named Sammakka and Saramma.
The Medaram Fair is a vibrant celebration of tribal culture, rituals, and traditions, attracting people from different regions to participate and seek blessings from the revered deities, Sammakka and Saralamma.
Also Read : https://telugutraditions.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1770&action=edit