Medaram’s odyssey from bullock cart to helicopter

Medaram (Warangal): Once tucked in deep forest and far from hustle and bustle, Medaram, the abode of Sammakka and Saralamma, is no more reflection of its cultural diaspora as the jatara underwent a huge metamorphosis with ever increasing footfall of devotees. The biennial jatara, said to be the biggest tribal carnival on the globe, which has seen people coming on foot, bullock carts and buses, is now grown more in popularity with chopper services also at their doorsteps.

In 1966, the state-owned RTC first introduced bus services to the tribal fiesta from Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam with a fleet of little over 100 buses. Now, the administration is running more than 3,600 buses from all corners of the state, besides the special trains run by the SC Railways to Warangal. But the moot point is that the region has lost huge tracts of greenery around deities’ gaddelu (raised platforms) consequently hitting the livelihood of quite a few forest-dwellers.

With number of devotees growing from thousands to lakhs since the jatara came under the purview of Endowments Department in 1968, the locals are deprived of their land and crop income. During jatara, their land was used to provide amenities to the devotees. The locals moved the High Court seeking compensation from the government. Despite the opposition from the locals, the authorities turned the temple precincts into a concrete establishment like the shrines in urban areas.

Since the government recognized the jatara as the State festival in 1996, a compound wall around the temple along with iron grills around gaddelu was constructed. Now, this year, the authorities laid granite slabs inside the temple compound. Amid development, the authorities have forgotten the importance of both the fig trees under which the altars of Sammakka and Saralamma were offered mokkulu.

With one tree already gone, the other one is ready to die due to the concrete structures around the sanctum sanctorum and the huge quantities of jaggery placed around the altars. Siddaboina Lakshman Rao, one of the jatara’s priest, said: “The culture and tradition of Adivasis is in danger due to the interference of the politicos in the jatara administration. The locals were completely ignored despite several representations to the government to make it mandatory to run the jatara only by the Adivasis and reduce the role of non-tribals.”

Tudum Debba state politburo co-chairman Siddaboina Lakshminarayana demanded that no official with footwear should allowed to the gaddelu. Stating that there is no danger to the tradition and culture of the Adivasis, Medaram Trust Board former chairman Alam Rammurthy admitted that some changes have come as part of development.