Sammakka Saralamma Jatara

Sammakka Saralamma Jatara
Sammakka Saralamma Jatara
Official name	సమ్మక్క సారలమ్మ జాతర
Also called	Sammakka Sarakka Jatara Medaram Jatara
Observed by	Koya tribes
Observances	Offering to the Goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma
Duration	4 days
Frequency	every 2 years

Sammakka Saralamma Jatara (also Sammakka Sarakka Jatara and Medaram Jatara)^[1] is a festival to honour the Hindu Tribal goddesses, celebrated in the state of Telangana, India. People offer Bellam (jaggery), locally called as Bangaram, to the deities. The Jatara begins at Medaram in Tadvai Mandala in Mulugu district. The rituals related to the Goddesses are entirely performed by the Koya Tribe priests, in accordance with Koya customs and traditions.

Until 1955, about 2,000 people used to visit Medaram, of whom the majority (1,500) belonged to the Koya tribe. But now a large number of non-Koya pilgrims (1.3 crore) visit Medaram and the Koya people comprise only 2% of the total worshippers.^[2]

The Jatara is very well facilitated with roads, potable water, sanitation, health and hygiene by the Government of Telangana.^[3]

Traditional rituals such as the offering of jaggery (bellam), ceremonial installation of the deities, and customary tribal worship practices were performed in accordance with Koya traditions. The 2026 Jathara concluded without major incidents, with authorities describing the event as orderly despite the unprecedented scale of attendance.^[4]

Region-wise figures indicated particularly high deployment from Hyderabad and Greater Hyderabad, which together accounted for more than 5.18 lakh bus passengers, while Warangal zones and Karimnagar region also contributed significantly to overall pilgrim transport volumes.^[5]