Pre-jatara rush at Medaram on the rise

Highlights

Pre-jatara rush at Medaram is increasing steadily even as more than one month left for the actual jatara to commence.

Medaram (Warangal): Pre-jatara rush at Medaram is increasing steadily even as more than one month left for the actual jatara to commence.

The devotees were arriving here from different parts of the State on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays to offer prayers to the deities, Sammakka and Saralamma to avoid the jatara rush and have darshan of the deities in a leisurely manner.

With the flow of devotees increasing, the traders from outside too have started setting up shops at the village. Usually the traders would start sales of coconut, jaggery, and other puja materials from January onwards.

In view of the increasing number of devotees, the government departments also became busy in making arrangements for the convenience of the arriving devotees.

The bathing ghats were cleaned and water taps were put into operation by Rural Water Supply (RWS) department. The TSRTC also has increased the frequency of buses to Medaram on Sundays on which the devotees rush would be more, informed RTC Warangal Regional Manager E Yadagiri.

District Collector Vakati Karuna directed the officials of electricity, panchayat raj and other departments to make arrangements to handle the pre-jatara rush. According to the officials, about eight to ten thousand devotees were now arriving at Medaram on Sundays.

The devotees arrive mainly on Wednesday, Thursdays and Sundays but on Sundays the rush would be more as it was holiday, informed Oorattam MPTC B Raju. ‘The practice of offering sacrifices to the deities before jatara is gaining popularity in recent times as those with huge families and having kids want to avoid jatara time rush,’ he added.

It might be noted that the new State of Telangana celebrating its first Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara in 2016 from February 17 to 20. Hence it gained more importance among the devotees as well as the officials.
The deity Sarakka or Saralamma would be brought to ‘gadde’ (Altar) from Kannepally on February 17 while Sammakka arrives at the ‘gadde’ from Chilakalagutta on February 18. The deities would adore the altar together on February 19, the important event of the jatara, a local priest Kaka Saraiah informed. The deities would be taken back to their respective places on February 20, marking the conclusion of the jatara.

James Edwin
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