Medaram "Samakka Sarakka" Jatara - A Tribal Festival

Medaram "Samakka Sarakka" Jatara :-

Sammakka Sarakka is a huge festival of Telangana people that marks the fight of Sammakka and Saralamma (a mother and daughter) with the powerful rulers against an unfair law. It is a 3 days festival starts at Medaram in Tadvai mandal that held once in 2 years. It is a major festival/Jatara after kumbh mela that attracts millions of people all over the country. 

The population of the little forest village at Medaram in normal times never exceeds 300. Suddenly, during the month of February it rises to over 3500000! Millions of devotees come from all over Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states like Orissa, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Medaram jatara begins on the fullmoon day also known as suddha poornima day of the Magha masam. It is January-February months that coincide with Magha month of Hindu lunar calendar. The tribal deity Saralamma or Sarakka would be brought from Kannepoyinapalle village to the jatara venue. The next day another deity Sammakka, considered to be mother of Saralamma, will be brought from the adjoining Chilakalagutta. The deities after brought to the venue, are traditionally installed on a platform under a tree, called 'Gaddi' (raised platform or the throne). 

Coconut and jaggery are the main offerings to the deities, though animal sacrifice is a common phenomenon at the jatara. Some of the devotees who vowed to offer 'Niluvetthu Bangaram' meaning gold weighing equivalent to their personal weight, offer same weight of jaggery as a substitute for the gold. 

After Kumbha Melas, it is the Medaram jatara or Sammkka-Saralakka jatara that attracts large number of tribals, non tribals to get congregated at one place. This fair festivity is held once in two years (bi-annually) with more than ten million people taking part. 

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.

The undeterred resolve, honesty, uprightness and courage of two Girijan women, Sammakka and Saralamma, pitted against the might of cruel kind, symbolizing in short the spirit of the girijans in the face of odds, forms the sprit of the bi-annual Sammakka Saralamma jathara held in forests of Medaram in Eturnagaram mandal in Warangal district. This is the biggest Girijan festival held here. Medaram is a small village in the forest. Here Sammakka Jathara is celebrated once in two years on a very large - scale for three days before Magha Purnima Sammakka is a tribal goddess and the patrons and the priests are Koyas (A caste in tribals). 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 50-acre forest expanse would be used for the purpose, which is situated 110 km from the Warangal district headquarters on the banks of river. The jathara begins on Magha shuddha Purnima and continues for four days. 
Offerings are made to the goddesses with jaggery. About four lakh devotees worshipped the deities in the 1996 jathara. Though the State government realized the importance in 1952, it did not take any concrete measures to popularize it till 1982. 

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 2lakh of people congregate every day. They came in motorized vehicles, bullock carts, on foot in thousands causing an unprecedented traffic jam from Medaram whose tail could be traced 26 km away towards Warangal. 

Men and women attired in their best and many swathed in turmeric turned up for the jathara. For tribal youth, it was a no-holds-barred celebration. They reached the Sammakka Sarakka "gaddhelu'' (platform) dancing to the tune of drums with gay abandon while elderly people tried their best to have darshan. A large number of tribal men and women behaved as if "possessed'' by the tribal goddesses. 

People believe that Goddesses Sammakka, Saralamma fulfill their desires with their divine and miraculous powers. Issueless Couples visit to pray the goddess to bless them with children. Many pilgrim pay their promises made to goddess during the Jathara, by offering Jaggery, calf's, coconuts and donations in cash etc. Pilgrim bath in the Jampanna stream to get purified and absolve from sins.

History, Mythology and practices:-

According to a tribal story, about 6-7 centuries ago, a group of Koya Indians traveling through the dandakaaranya found a little girl playing with tigers. The head of the tribe adopted and named her Sammakka.  She married the headman of a neighboring village. Saaralamma was her daughter.  The Koya Indians were a tributary to the Kakatiyas, who ruled the country of Andhra from Warangal City between 1000 AD and 1380 AD.  Once, the Koyas assisted the Kakatiyas in a war.  After sometime, there was a severe drought that lasted for years and as a result the mighty Godavari River dried up.  Koyas didn’t have even food to eat.  However, the Kakatiyas insisted on the payment of taxes.   The Kakatiya emperor sent his forces to teach the Koyas a lesson and collect taxes and the Koyas had no option but to resist.  After a bitter war, the Kakatiya Prime Minister visited war ravaged Koya kingdom. By then most of the Koya chiefs had fallen in battle.  The Prime Minister proposed 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 Samakka was 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 disappeared into the deep forest. The Koyas searched for their queen and found only a red ochre box, her bangles and the pug-marks of a huge tigress.  Soon after, Muslim invaders destroyed the Kakatiya dynasty.  Since then, the Koyas, Waddaras and other Indian tribes and castes have been holding festivals in memory of Sammakka and Saralamma regularly. 

There is no permanent idol of the deity.   It is said that a Koya boy who gets a vision before the festival, searches in the forest for a week without food and sleep and finally brings the goddesses in the farm of two vermilion caskets tied to a piece of bamboo, one representing the main deity Sammakka and the other her daughter Saarakka or Saaralamma. The actual festival begins in the month of Magha, on Suddha Pournami (full moon day) evening when Saaralamma would be traditionally brought from Kanneboyinapalle, a village in the forest, and installed on a gaddi (the throne or platform), an earthen platform raised under a tree.  Animals are sacrificed and intoxicants such as liquor 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.  Some offer jaggery equal to their weight and distribute.  It is a rare opportunity to witness some ancient practices especially pabba, Shiva sathi (sathi means lady) and Lakshmi Devaras.  Shiva sathis are women who go into trance and bless the childless women to have children and the process of that blessing is called pabba.  The belief is that those who had the blessings of Sammakka-Saralamma through the words of Shiva sathis would have children.  Children get their heads tonsured. Young girls accompanied by their parents performed special prayers with the help of Shiva sathis and Lakshmi Devaras to get suitable husbands. 

On the special day - Maghasudha pournami :-

The actual festival begins in the month of Magha, on Sudha Pournami (full moon day) evening when Sarakka (in the form of a vermilion) would be traditionally brought from Kanneboyinapalle, a  neibhouring  village in the forest, and placed on a gadde, an earthen platform raised under a tree. 

By next sunset,the main goddess Sammakka (in the form of a vermilion) will be brought  from Chilukalagutta. There are two gaddes (platforms) Separately one for goddess "Sammakka" and other for goddess "Sarakka".  They are represented by bamboo sticks smeared with turmeric and vermilion (Pasupu and Kunkuma). Since time immemorial, there is a huge tree standing on Sammakka gadde. 

When the priests bring out the ochre box and other relics from a hidden forest location, there is great tumult with frenzied beating of drums, blowing of trumpets and full throated yells. It is said that during the festival a huge tiger prowls around peacefully. Offerings are coconuts and jaggery. They are piled at the foot of the trees..

On Festival day:-

This tiny village located in the thick forest area witness surging crowds start a week before the festival. Hundreds of private and Govt vehicles will be engaged in transporting countless number of pilgrims flocking the venue of historic Sammakka Sarakka jatara site. The Gaddelu, the sanctum sanctorum of this jatara site, will be filled to maximum and the devotees continue to throng the venue. The whole of Medaram village will be lit up for the celebrations. Hundreds of shops and petty business enterprises come up all over. The pilgrims will be  seen spread over 9 km around the venue. Temporary dwellings  spring up presenting a spectacular sight.

How to Distance Medaram Sammakka saralamma jathara Temple:-

Hyderabad	Warangal	145 km
Chennai	Warangal	730 km
Nagpur	Warangal	450 km
Vijayawada	Warangal	237 km
Visakhapatnam	Warangal	520 Km
Nizamabad	Warangal	232 Km
Tirupathi	Warangal	652 Km
Warangal	Medaram	90 Km

Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam at Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram

Attukal Pongala (Attukal Ponkala):-

Attukal Pongala (Attukal Ponkala) is the most reputed festival of this temple, which attracts devotees from all parts of India.  Attukal temple is also known as ‘the Sabarimala of Women‘,Tens of hundreds of women devotees throng together on the day of Pongala with their offerings to the Goddess and to seek blessings. The festival commences on Karthika day of Malayalam month Makaram-Kumbham (February-March).

The ten day Pongala festival held at Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, 2 km from Thiruvananthapuram, attracts thousands of female devotes from manay parts of the country. Men are not allowed in the vicinity of the temple during the Pongala. Pongala is a kind of sweet porridge, considered to be the goddess favourite offering. It is cooked by each devotee in a day pot on an open fire and the long line of women making the ritual offering extends up to East Fort and beyond.

It is a logistical nightmare. The temple premises can barely accommodate a few hundred devotees with their earthen pots and other paraphernalia for the preparation of the sweet rice gruel. So they occupy the streets, playgrounds and vacant lands in a 7-km radius from the temple and perform the chores in tandem with the temple rituals with the blessings of local representatives.

Spots on the streets are booked days in advance with bricks for the hearth placed strategically on the pavements. To avoid confusion and disputes, the bricks are initialled and the spots marked with chalk by representatives of devotees from far-flung areas. The devotees start arriving the previous day and residents of the area and local committees make arrangements for their stay.

Preparations for the pongala ritual begin a week in advance. Loudspeakers at every street corner blare devotional songs and the streets are swept clean and decorated with palm leaves and festoons. On the pongala day, women of all ages, dressed in off-white traditional attire, line the streets in full Kerala splendour!

The Pongala consists of rice, lentils, jaggery, coconut gratings, nuts, raisins and ghee.

Later, the idol of Devi is carried to Manacaud Sastha Temple in a colorful procession comprising of Thalapoli, Kuthiyottom, Annam, Vahanam, caparisoned elephants etc. Musical ensembles by famous artistes add to the festivities. En route onlookers greet the procession with Nirapara (a measure filled with paddy and decorated with flowers). The procession reaches back, the next morning, marking the end of the festival.

The ceremony began at an auspicious time of 10.30 am, when the chief priest of the Ayyappa Temple lit the traditional flame which was then passed on to the womenfolk for placing in the firewood to start cooking of Pongala. At the end of the ceremony, the Pongala was taken home as a prasadam.

The History and Mythology of Temple:-

The story invokes the presence of Kodungallur Bhagavathy and the slaying of the Pandyan King. The song will continue for all the nine days preceding Ponkala. The event of the Goddess annihilating the Pandyan King is accompanied by much sound and fury of the temple drums and "Vaykurava" by devotees, immediately followed by the lighting of the hearths for the preparation of the offering for the Goddess. This festival commemorates the victory of Good over Evil, by the slaying of Pandyan King. Throughout the festival an atmosphere of celebration and festivity prevails and there are the solemn observances such as regular conduct of Bhajans, musical concerts, ballets depicting folk and temple arts etc. in the temple premises. This is symbolic of the philosophy that human and divine affairs are inter-woven so minutely in all its disquisitions. Processions of colourful floats of the deity from all around, carried with pomp and devotion by the devotees congregating in the temple premises provides a pleasing experience.

Another story:-

A few centuries ago, the head of Mulluveettil family was met with a young girl who asked him to help her cross the Killi river in which he was performing his ritualistic prayers. The Karanavar (family head) knew it was no ordinary girl, because of her charm and charisma. He bowed before her and willingly took her to the other side of the river. He invited her to his home nearby and the whole family was preparing to receive this girl. However, they couldn’t find her as she had disappeared by the time Mulluveettil family was ready to receive her.

The Karanavar and his family were a little puzzled. The Karanavar (family head) saw the girl once again in his dream, in the same day as he saw the little girl. The girl appeared as an icon and told him to give her an abode in the nearby kavu (a grove where shrubs and wild animals including snakes are left undisturbed). She told him that he would see three lines at a specific point in the kavu and she wanted her abode erected there.

With joy, the old man reached the Kavu and to his surprise, he found three lines marked on the ground. He knew it was a sacred spot and he wasted no time erecting a temple. The temple became the abode of the goddess, who later came to be known as Attukal Devi (or Attukal Amma). Local devotees offered their prayers in this temple and soon the fame of this temple spread far and wide. The people also offered to renovate the temple and a bigger temple with a new icon was installed. The goddess was represented as a woman with four arms, each bearing a spear, sword, skull and shield. The then high priest of Badarinath Temple led the consecration ceremony.

The girl that appeared before the Karanavar of Mulluveettil family is known to be Kannaki. Kannaki is the famous heroine of Chipathikaram, a Tamil epic written by Elenkovadikal. She is the incarnation of Sri Parvathy, the consort of Lord Siva. She took this incarnation of destroyer goddess, to destroy the evil and to preserve good. Kannaki was returning from Madurai, a city which she has destroyed, when she took a sojourn at Attukal and let the Karanavar see her as a little girl. She was on her way to Kodungalloor.

Celebrating Attukal Pongala:-

Festivities begin Thottampattu (a song about Bhagavathi). These religious songs continue for nine days of the festival. On the ninth and the main day of Attukal Pongala thousands of women gather in the temple with materials for cooking Ponkala or Pongala. The ritual of cooking starts early in the morning and by noon, Pongala would be ready. Then the Melsanthi (chief priest) arrives with Devi's sword and bless the ladies by sprinkling holy water and showering flowers. The 'blessed' Pongala is taken back to the house by the ladies.

Later, the idol of Devi is carried to Manacaud Sastha Temple in a colorful procession comprising of Thalapoli, Kuthiyottom, Annam, Vahanam, caparisoned elephants etc. Musical ensembles by famous artistes add to the festivities. En route onlookers greet the procession with Nirapara (a measure filled with paddy and decorated with flowers). The procession reaches back, the next morning, marking the end of the festival.


Kuthiyottam and Thalappoli:-

Kuthiyottam performed by boys and Thalappoli by girls are two popular rituals made on the Ponkala day. A stream of young girls dressed in traditional attire holding Thalappoli starts very early in the morning with the hope that the Goddess almighty would be pleased to bestow on them beauty inward and outward, health, wealth and happiness. Boys below the age of 13 years make the offering of Kuthiyottam. These young boys represent the wounded soldiers of the Goddess Mahishasura Marddini. On the third day of the festival these young boys receive the prasadam (offering) from the temple priest and start a seven day penance to purify their body and mind. For the purpose they have to pass through rigorous physical and mental discipline such as sleeping on the floor, observing strict diet restrictions, staying in the temple etc. Besides these, the boys have to undergo such disciplines like prostrating 1008 times before the deity after their morning and evening oblations.

News & Events:-

Pongala festival has found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest attendance of women on February 23, 1997. 1.5 million women had participated in that year’s Pongala.