MAKAR SANKRANTHI

 Makara Sankranthi is the harvest festival,which is all about doing things together as a family.
This festival is celebrated in various parts of India.
While the traditional Indian Calendar is based on lunar positions, Sankranti is a solar event. So while dates of all Hindu festivals keep changing as per the Gregorian Calendar, the date of Makar Sankranti remains constant over a long term.It is celebrated for 4 days.
First day(Jan13th): Bhogi Festival,Second day(Jan 14th): Sankranthi or Pongal Festival,
Third day(Jan15th): Kanuma Festival,Fourth day(Jan16th): Mukkanuma Festival

On Bhogi Panduga people wake up early and build a bonfire using old broomsticks, mats, paper and firewood signifying the end of evil. The courtyards are cleaned and beautiful muggulu/rangoli patterns are drawn ,coloured and decorated with marigold flower stuck on cowdung balls,Pasupu/Kumkuma,Navadhanyalu in the center of Rangoli/Muggu and that is called Sankranthi Gobbemalu.
People in Andhra Pradesh Invite Lord lakshmi by drawing these colorful rangolies/Muggulu. Ladies wake up early in the morning and participate actively in rangoli event and they take this as a competition. They wanted their Rangolies to be bigger than any others so they cover entire road in front part of their house.

The second day is Makara Sankranti , also called "Pedda Panduga" , which literally means "the big festival", in some places this festival is also called as Pongal. Pongal is a sweet dish prepared from the recent rice harvest.
Everyone wear new clothes, prays to god, and make offerings of traditional food.

Married women will perform Sankranthi nomulu ,they buy 13 new items such as silver items, steel plates, kumkumkaya ,steel boxes,spoons ...etc. They keep them infront of god and perform puja.After the pooja is done they keep one item for themselves and distribute the rest as vayanam to married women.In some parts of Andhra Pradesh this is very important nomu for the newly wed bride.

There is tradition of decorating cow with different coloured clothes it is called as Gangireddu , they come to every house and play music so that the house owners come and give their offerings such as clothes and food to the cow(Gangireddu).

Sankranthi is also called as festival of kites,the generic name for a kite is 'Patang' .These kites are made of special light-wt kite paper and bamboo and are mostly rhombus shaped with central spine and a single bow.
Now-a-days we see beautiful kites in the market.People offer thousands of their colorful oblations to the Sun in the form of beautiful kites .Many people fly kites on that day.Many kite competitions are held on the day of sankranthi.

The Third day of Sankranthi festival is Kanuma. Hindu Mythology says that Lord
Krishna lifted the Govardhana Giri on this day to protect the people of Gokhulam from strong rains and thunderstorms. This day is dedicated to Cows and Bulls. These animals are decorated with colors and flowers and they are worshipped.People in villages perform puja to their agriculture tools used for harvesting.

The Fourth Day of Sankranthi festival is Mukkanuma. It is a day of Get together where people socialize and go out on picnics.

Sweet Pongal ,Ariselu and Sakinalu are the traditional food items which we prepare for Sankranthi.

Regards,

Kiran kumar

Anna Hazare - Anti-Corruption Movement

Power Situation during 1985-86 became extremely critical. The farmers were unable to lift water from the wells inspite of its availability due to insufficient voltage to run pumps. The motors were getting burnt due to fluctuations and the crops were getting affected. There was scant response from the govt. inspite of continuous follow-up. On 28th Nov. 1989 Mr. Hazare was forced to undertake fast for seeking redressal. After 8 days of his fast , his health deteriorated and was admitted in the civil hospital at Ahmednagar. As there was, no response inspite of action from his side, the farmers from three tehsils became furious and they started road block agitation. Fearing that if the agitation takes a wrong turn, something untoward may take place. He appealed to the agitators from the hospital bed that they should not resort to unfair means, damage the national property and inflict any harm to the passengers. The agitation should be peaceful. The police authorities did not expect huge participation and there was meager police force available.

However, they were proved wrong and more than 10000 men and 1200 women participated in the agitation. The agitators had offered police to take them to jail. However, since enough transport was not available with the police, the police tried to remove the road block. Due to improper treatment meted out to the agitators, there was scuffle between police and the agitators and the police resorted to lathi-charged on agitators. This action on the part of police irritated them and they pelted stones on the police force. Since the situation was going out of control, additional force was called and police opened fire on the agitators in which 4 farmers died on the spot and 7 farmers sustained severe injuries. He felt sad on hearing this news in the hospital. The agitation was meant for awakening the government and there is no harm in carrying out such agitations in democracy. He had decided to end his life during the fast itself, but Senior Officials of the government and even Ministers persuaded him to give up his fast as they feared that if agitation continues, lot many farmers may lose their life and in order to save the life of innocent farmers, he withdrew his fast.

Model Village as contemplated by Gandhiji was brought in reality by Shri Annaji at Ralegan Siddhi by his dedication. “Late Shri Achyutrao Patwardhan, the great freedom fighter, suggested to the government of Maharashtra that to commemorate the golden jubilee of Bharat Chhodo Andolan, it would be most befitting to create model villages like Ralegan Siddhi in every tehsil of the state. The government accepted this suggestion and declared to implement “Adarsh Gaon Yojana”. The Government entrusted this responsibility to him and Adarsha Gaon Yojana was started under his leadership . He travelled whole of Maharashtra and selected 300 villages to implement this scheme. While working in this scheme
he realised that development is getting hampered due to planned corruption in Govermnent machinery and he decided to fight against this corruption. He gave evidence against two ministers who had amassed wealth disproportionate to their income. However since the Govt was passive about this he started agitation and undertook fast for l0 days. Chief Minister intervened and he deleted these two ministers from ministry and appointed an Inquiry Commission. The Commission held both the ministers guilty but to save them the Govt appointed another commission who discharged them from the allegations. Though the ministers were discharged from the allegations, they had to loose their ministership which is the success of Mr.Hazare's agitation.
Mr.Hazare's gave evidence of corruption by Social Welfare Minister to the then Chief Minister. On 3lst July l999 the Chief Minister informed him that inquiry is being instituted about the charges leveled by him. He had given an interview to a local daily regarding this inquiry and based on this interview the concerned minister had filed a case in the court against Mr.Hazare for defamation. He was held guilty by the Court and the court had asked him to give an undertaking that he will not make such allegations in future.He refused to give such undertaking and preferred to go jail for 3 months as ordered by the court. He told the court that He was willing to give his life for truth. His punishment created commotion in public and scores of people started visiting Yerawada Jail.

He wanted to compelte his jail term but to give respect to the public feelings he accepted his release.In l992 Gandhji had told the court that if court feels that his actions for the freedom of the country are considered as anti government activities he was willing to undergo any punishment .Similarly he did not give bond to the court and accpeted punishment. He did not prefer any appeal against the court order immediately but due to public pressure he later made an appeal which was upheld by the Higher Court and rejected the suit of minister.Mr. Hazare asked the Govt. to conduct the inquiry against the minister which is still on.

In the regim of coaliation Government of Congress and National Congress Party, He had forwarded evidence of corruption about 4 ministers and had asked the Government to conduct inquiry. One of the ministers had made allegations about corruption in the institutions in which he was associated. Since there was no action from the Govt. he undertook fast for 9 dys in August 2003 at Azad Maidan. The minister concenred also started agitation at Azaj Maidan in Mumbai. At last the Government relented and Retired Suprement Court Judge Shri P.B. Sawant was appointed to conduct the inquiry. The commission conducted the inquiry and sent its report to Govt. on 22nd Februrary .
In the report the commission had observed ministers guilty and had held Mr.Hazare also guilty forirregularities but not a single charge of corruption was proved against him.Mr. Hazare has offered the Government that it should take action against him as well as the ministers based on the findings of the enquiry comissions.Though Govt has not taken any action on the Commission's report three ministers had to go and this is a big achievement of his agitation against corruption.

He felt that corruption will not stop merely by taking action against a few officers and ministers and it is necessary that a change should be brought about in the system, He believes that unless decentralisation of power takes place the system will not change.In order to bring change in the system he felt that information should be made available to people regarding Govt.'s actions which was not being provided to people on the ground of secracy. Here again he decided to follow Gandhiji's path and started Maun Vrat and later fast unto death. This brought pressure on the Govt. and both the Central as well as State Governments have enacted Right to Information Act. His whole life and work is based on Gandhian philosophy.

Prohibition
Alcohol has ruined many families in rural India. The existing laws did not have teeth to ban the sale of alcohol in villages. So he decided to press the government to make a law for prohibition if 50% women demanded for it. Ultimately, women are the most affected lot if their husbands are drunkards.
By the new Act, the women of any village can collectively demand for ban on sale of alcoholic drinks in the village. If a minimum of 50% of women complain to the District Collector about their sufferings and request for total prohibition in the village, the Collector can hold ballot paper election in the village. There will be two signs on the paper – one being a bottle in standing position and another being in a horizontal position. The women will cast their votes. In the evening, the votes will be counted. If more votes are in favour of ‘horizontal bottle’, then the Collector will ban the sale of alcoholic drinks in the village and cancel the license of the seller.
In many villages, the licenses have been cancelled and total prohibition came into reality after this Act. In some villages, the alcohol sellers have manipulated the election with money power.
Anyhow, this Act has supported and strengthened the women. Women have become empowered due to this act and became fearless to come in open against the alcoholism. This Act has helped in organizing the women and fight against evils for a common good. Women’s empowerment is the need of the day.

Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesha Chaturthi (गणेश चतुर्थी) , also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi(Tamil: விநாயக சதுர்த்தி ) is the Hindu festival of Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival. It is the birthday of Lord Ganesha who is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 20 August and 15 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).

While celebrated all over India, it is most elaborate in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Outside India, it is celebrated widely in Nepal and by Hindus in the United States, Canada and Fiji.

 

 

 

 

History

Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak

It is not known when and how Ganesh Chaturthi was first celebrated. But according to the historian Shri Rajwade, the earliest Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations can be traced back to the times of the reigns of dynasties as Satavahana, Rashtrakuta and Chalukya. Historical records reveal that Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations were initiated in Maharashtra by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, the great Maratha ruler, to promote culture and nationalism. And it had continued ever since. There are also references in history to similar celebrations during Peshwa times. It is believed that Lord Ganapati was the family deity of the Peshwas. After the end of Peshwa rule, Ganesh Chaturthi remained a family affair in Maharashtra from the period of 1818 to 1892.
In 1893, Indian freedom fighter and social reformer Lokmanya Tilak transformed the annual festival into a large, well-organized public event.^[1]
Tilak recognized the wide appeal of the deity Ganesh as "the god for everybody",^[2][3] and popularized Ganesh Chaturthi as a national festival in order "to bridge the gap between Brahmins and 'non-Brahmins' and find a context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them", and generate nationalistic fervor among people in Maharashtra against the British colonial rule.^[4][5]
Tilak encouraged installation of large public images of Ganesh in pavilions, and also established the practice of submerging in rivers, sea, or other pools of water all public images of the deity on the tenth day after Ganesh Chaturthi.^[6]
Under Tilak's encouragement, the festival facilitated community participation and involvement in the form of intellectual discourses, poetry recitals, performances of plays, musical concerts, and folk dances. It served as a meeting ground for people of all castes and communities in times when, in order to exercise control over the population, the British discouraged social and political gatherings.

[edit] Date

The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 20 August and 15 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi. This festival is observed in the lunar month of bhadrapada shukla paksha chathurthi madhyahana vyapini purvaviddha. If Chaturthi prevails on both days, the first day should be observed. Even if chaturthi prevails for the complete duration of madhyahana on the second day, if it prevails on the previous day's madhyahana period even for one ghatika (24 minutes), the previous day should be observed.^[7]

[edit] Celebration, rituals and tradition

[edit] In India

Large idols such as this are seen all over Mumbai during the festival

Two to three months prior to Ganesh Chaturthi, artistic clay models of Lord Ganesha are made for sale by specially skilled artisans. They are beautifully decorated & depict Lord Ganesh in various poses. The size of these statues may vary from 3/4th of an inch to over 25 feet.
Ganesh Chaturthi starts with the installation of these Ganesh statues in colorfully decorated homes and specially erected temporary structures mandapas (pandals) in every locality. The pandals are erected by the people or a specific society or locality or group by collecting monetary contributions. The mandapas are decorated specially for the festival, either by using decorative items like flower garlands, lights, etc. or are theme based decorations, which depict religious themes or current events.
The priest, usually clad in red silk dhoti and shawl, then symbolically invokes life into the statue by chanting mantras. This ritual is the Pranapratishhtha. After this the ritual called as Shhodashopachara (16 ways of paying tribute) follows. Coconut, jaggery, 21 modakas, 21 durva (trefoil) blades of grass and red flowers are offered. The statue is anointed with red unguent, typically made of Kumkum & Sandalwood paste . Throughout the ceremony, Vedic hymns from the Rig Veda, the Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad, and the Ganesha stotra from the Narada Purana are chanted.

Ganesh Visarjan

For 10 days, from Bhadrapad Shudh Chaturthi to the Ananta Chaturdashi, Ganesha is worshipped. On the 11th day, the statue is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing, singing, and fanfare to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of his devotees, this is the ritual known as Ganesh Visarjan. At individual homes the Visarjan is also done on 3rd, 5th or 7th day as per the family tradition. All join in this final procession shouting "Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Pudhachya Varshi Laukar ya" (O lord Ganesha, come again speedily next year). After the final offering of coconuts, flowers and camphor is made, people carry the idols to the river to immerse it.
The main sweet dish during the festival is the modak (modagam or modakam in South India). A modak is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a stuffing of fresh or dry-grated coconut, jaggery, dry fruits and some other condiments. It is either steam-cooked or fried. Another popular sweet dish is the karanji (karjikaiin Kannada) which is similar to the modak in composition and taste but has a semicircular shape.
Public celebrations of the festival are hugely popular, with local communities (mandalas) vying with each other to put up the biggest statue & the best pandal. The festival is also the time for cultural activities like singing and theater performances, orchestra and community activities like free medical checkup, blood donation camps, charity for the poor, etc.
Today, the Ganesh Festival is not only a popular festival, it has become a very critical and important economic activity for Maharashtra. Many artists, industries, and businesses survive on this mega-event. Ganesh Festival also provides a stage for budding artists to present their art to the public. The same holds true for Hyderabad and Chennai too.

[edit] Outside India

Dancers in Paris streets during the 2009 Ganesh Chaturthi festival

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the UK by the migrant Hindu population as well as the large number of Indians residing there. The Hindu culture and Heritage Society, UK - a Southall based organisation celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi for the first time in London in 2005 at The Vishwa Hindu Temple. The Idol was immersed in the river Thames at Putney Pier. Another celebration organised by an Gujarati group has been celebrated in the Southend on Sea which attracts over 18000 devotees^[8].
The festival is similarly celebrated in many locations across the world. The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA, an organisation of Hindus based in the US organises many such events to mark the various Hindu festivals.
In Canada, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by various associations of Marathi speaking people. (MBM in Toronto, MSBC in Vancouver etc.).
Celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mauritius dates back to 1896. The first Ganesh Chaturthi Puja was held in the 7 Cascades Valley next to Henrietta village by the Bhiwajee family who is still celebrating this pious festival for more than a century.
Over the years the festival gained such popularity on the island that Mauritian government has attributed a public holiday for that day.

[edit] Environmental impact

Lake contaminated with Plaster of Paris Ganesha idols

The most serious impact of the Ganesh festival on the natural environment is due to the immersion of icons made of Plaster of Paris into lakes, rivers and the sea. Traditionally, the Ganesh icon was sculpted out of earth taken from nearby one’s home. After worshipping the divinity in this earth icon, it was returned back to the Earth by immersing it in a nearby water body. This cycle represented the cycle of creation and dissolution in Nature.
However, as the production of Ganesh icons on a commercial basis grew, the earthen or natural clay (shaadu maati in Marathi) was replaced by Plaster of Paris. Plaster is a man made material, easier to mould, lighter and less expensive than clay. However, plaster takes much longer to dissolve and in the process of dissolution releases toxic elements into the water body. The chemical paints used to adorn these plaster icons themselves contain heavy metals like mercury and cadmium.
On the final day of the Ganesh festival thousands of plaster icons are immersed into water bodies by devotees. These increase the level of acidity in the water and the content of heavy metals.^[9] The day after the immersion, shoals of dead fish can be seen floating on the surface of the water body as a result of this sudden increase.^[10]
Several non governmental and governmental bodies have been addressing this issue. Amongst the solutions proposed by various groups some are as follows:

• Return to the traditional use of natural clay icons and immerse the icon in a bucket of water at home.^[11]
• Use of a permanent icon made of stone and brass, used every year and a symbolic immersion only.
• Recycling of plaster icons to repaint them and use them again the following year.
• Ban on the immersion of plaster icons into lakes, rivers and the sea.^[12]
• Creative use of other biodegradable materials such as paper mache to create Ganesh icons.
• Encouraging people to immerse the icons in tanks of water rather than in natural water bodies.^[13]

The God of Cricket : Sachin done it!

In 1989, during the selection of the Indian team for the tour to Pakistan, the selectors - led by the late Raj Singh Dungarpur - were faced with a tricky question. They had in their minds an outrageously talented young boy, who they were sure would represent India with distinction. The question they wrestled with was whether the boy should be thrust into the lion's den so soon. And the den couldn't have been more hostile than a tour of Pakistan, facing the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan in their backyard, with crowds everywhere baying for the blood of the Indians.

Would selecting the boy for the tour be the right decision? Would it leave him with mental scars that would retard his development? Would they be risking a potentially world-beating future for a tenuous present?

The selectors then were each nominated from different zones in the country. As they debated the question - so the story goes - two of the selectors thought the boy was ready, and two of them wanted to wait.

The ones who wanted to wait had the valid question: "What if the tour proves to be too much? What if he fails?"

On hearing this, another selector turned to the fifth man in the room, who had not expressed his opinion yet. This was the West Zone selector who had seen the boy blitz all comers across all playing divisions. The words he is supposed to have said sealed the deal in favour of selection, though none of the five men could have known just what they were about to unleash into the cricket world.

The selector from the West Zone simply said: "Gentlemen, Sachin Tendulkar does not fail."

And he hasn't - for twenty years and counting.

Batman puts on a cape, Spiderman wears a costume, Superman sheds his normal clothes to reveal his true self - Sachin Tendulkar needs only to pick up a bat in hand to be a superhero.

This is not an attempt to dissect the man statistically. It is not an attempt to provide expert views on his cricket. It is not an attempt to add to the paeans being sung about him as the cricketing world celebrates twenty years of excellence.

This is simply an intensely personal view by a fan of a man who remained a hero from boyhood to adolescence and beyond.

What do twenty years mean to a fan? It means a vignette of images that Tendulkar has left us with.

From running around in a playground during the 1992 World Cup and yelling, "India beat Pakistan. Tendulkar is the man of the match!" to remembering the headline that announced that Tendulkar had scored his second ODI century after taking an inordinate amount of time to score his first - a headline that said, "Rutherford Ruthless, Parore Roars, but Tendulkar, Prabhakar steal the limelight."

From getting excited in 1994 when he made his then-highest Test score of 179 to feeling cheated when he was not awarded the Man-of-the-series in the 1996 World Cup for being the highest and classiest scorer in the tournament. From remembering the painful struggle he went through as captain in 1997 - when he had to battle not only opponents but officials as well - to feeling exhilarated throughout much of 1998, as the destroyer in Tendulkar returned to quell not just Australians but sandstorms too on an unforgettable night in Sharjah. From having our hearts broken along with his when he miscued a Saqlain doosra in the Chennai Test of 1999 to having our faith in the game restored during the match-fixing scandal, when it was revealed that bookies would take bets on Indian matches only after he got out.

From remembering the 2003 World Cup as an image forever frozen of Tendulkar cutting Shoaib Akhtar over third-man for maximum to shaking our heads in disbelief in 2004 at the amazing self-control and discipline of a man who did not play a single cover drive in an innings of 241 not out.

From exulting with him at burying the ghost of 'finishing' matches for India in the CB series in 2008 to the sharing his solemn joy and humility at bringing a Test victory to the nation immediately after his city had been ravaged by scum towards the end of the year.

As the years rolled by, we got used to a different Tendulkar, and his 2003 heroics seemed the last time he would throw back the years and bat as he had in his youth. His average and strike rates didn't suffer, but he had made a subtle shift from run-plunderer to intelligent accumulator. And then, as he so often has in the past, he showed us that the plunderer still remained in a knock that was as inspiring as it was heart-breaking.

Through proxy-wars and floods, through terrorist attacks and droughts, through living under corrupt politicians and battling for survival at work or school - through it all, it was one man that brought us hope. One man who needed only to wield a bat to unite the most diverse country in the world. A hero who did not need a script, arc-lights and endless retakes to have the audience gasping in awe, but played out his dramas in real-time.

And yet, even he has fallen short of universal acclaim. His knock of 175, and others like it in his career when he led India to the doorstep of victory but fell short of actually marching in only to see his team-mates fail around him, has been the catalyst for re-igniting the debate about whether he has won enough matches for India. The analyst in me wants to examine the question using all kinds of criteria and statistics, but for today he has been banished by the fan. And a good thing too, because it is with a fan's eyes that I can see what I wouldn't otherwise. It is his failures as much as his success that brings him closer to us. Without them, he would have been the perfect man - so perfect that we would have been forced to admire him from afar. But when he perishes at the doorstep of victory, we bleed with him. And we are reminded that even though he performs superhero-like deeds, he is still human.

The sages who seek silence to meditate go to the loneliest reaches of the planet to achieve it. But if they were looking for that unreal moment when there is a silence so pervading that you could hear a feather drop, they need to attend a match in India when Sachin Tendulkar plays. Most of the time, when he bats the noise will be deafening. But when gets out, as he must because he is mortal, they will hear the most deafening silence that it is possible to hear. And they will hear it in a stadium jam-packed with frenzied fans who have all come to pay homage to their God.

Even in defeat, Sachin Tendulkar weaves miracles.

Sachin done it! A full and wide ball, he dabs it wide of point to complete his 200, becoming the first player ever to score a double ton in an ODI...what a magnificent player! No words are enough to describe this man...

Sammakka Sarakka Jathara – The Biggest Tribal Festival of Telangana in Asia

 Sammakka Sarakka Jatara, also known as Medaram Jatara, is the magnificent fair celebrations in Telagana region of Andhra Pradesh. It is the second largest religious congregation after the Maha Kumbh Mela with about 7 million pilgrims attending the jatara.
 
This jatara is held once in two years at Medaram village located at about 110 km from Warangal city, Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh. The jatara is held for three days before Magha Purnima (January-February). In the year 2010, jatara starts on 27th January and ends on 30th January 2010.
 
The Legend of Sammakka Sarakka:
The story of Samakka Sarakka has history of 700 years when King Prathaparudra of Kakatiya dynasty used to rule the place. The tribals named Koya tribals used to live in that region and once they happened to find a baby girl playing with a tigress in the midst of forest. The mysterious girl was named ‘Sammakka.’ She was radiant having many powers. In her presence the village was flourishing and soon she became popular for her wish granting powers. She was married to headman of the neighboring village and had a daughter named Sarakka.
At one time there occurred a famine for continuous four years and people were not able to pay their taxes. Pagidda Raju, the subordinate ruler to the King Prathaparudra refused to pay tax and this led to war between the two rulers. During this fight the whole tribal community of the village was involved and Sammakka’s husband and daughter were injured by the fighters. Seeing this Sammakka became very furious and fought with warriors with great strength. Seeing fiery power all warriors were shattered and terrorized. She cursed Kakatiya that dynasty will perish and by doing so she disappeared in forest.
Koyas searched for Samakka and but found only bangles and few pug-marks of a tigress. They revered her as goddesses who had great power to protect the village. In due course of time Kakatiya dynasty was invaded and destroyed by Muslims. But even now the village of Medaram and tribals exist. The tribals of this region have been holding the fair in memory of Samakka and her daughter Sarakka to pursue her blessings upon them, seeking her protection.
Celebrations: A large sea of humans is seen at Medaram. Hundreds of buses and thousands of carts head towards the village. Sammakka goddess is brought from village Chilukalagutta and Sarakka is brought from village Kanneboyinapalle, in form of vermilion and placed on a platforms called Gaddelu. Thousands of people take holy dip at the Jampanna vagu before proceeding to the shrines of Sammakka Sarakka.

A special ritual of weighing against jagerry, called as Bangaram, is observed in the jatara where the person offers his weight jaggery to the goddesses. Thousands of cocks and goats are sacrificed on the name of deities. People dress in colorful attires and sing glories of Sammakka and Sarakka. Media and television telecasts the events in the jatara.

History

One day, seven centuries ago, the tribals were hunting deep in the forest where they saw a female child surrounded by glorious glow, divine light and secured by tigers and lions. The tribal’s elders (Koya doralu) brought the child to the village. From that day, the village started seeing lot of prosperity and happiness. The tribal elders felt that their god Kondadevara (tribal god) had come to them as the child. In a ritual ceremony they named her as "Sammakka". Sammakka was fearless and rode on tigers and lions. She granted wishes to childless couples and cured people suffering form various chronic diseases. Her divine powers to grant wishes soon made her popularity spread through out the province. When Sammakka attained juvenile age, she was married to one Pagididda Raju, the ruler of Medaram village. They were blessed with one son and two daughters named Jampanna, Saralamma and Nagulamma, respectively.
During that period Emperor Prathaparudra, belonging to the Kakatiya dynasty, was the ruler of the vast Kakatiya kingdom. The kingdom's capital city was "Orugallu", now known as Warangal. Pagididda Raju was ruling the Medaram province as a subordinate king in the Kakatiya dynasty. Once a severe famine occurred in the province that lasted for four years. The famine devastated almost the entire population in the province. As a result, the people were not in a situation to pay their taxes. So, Pagididda Raju refused to pay tax to the Kakatiya emperor. This was not agreeable to the Emperor and he decided to wage a war against the province under the command of his Lieutenant Yugandarudu.
The tribal warriors prepared for war and were not afraid of the massive enemy forces. They fought the Kakatiya soldiers with great courage and ferocity. Thousands fell dead with their heads chopped off and blood flowed like a river and mixed with the waters of the Sampenga Vagu. The skilled but severely outnumbered tribal warriors were easily crushed by the strength of the Kakatiya army. Sammakka’s husband Pagididda Raju, son-in-law Govindaraju laid their victorious lives in the battle. Ashamed of all this, Jampanna sacrificed his life by jumping in to Sampenga Vagu. Due to this, the vagu became to be known as as Jampanna Vagu.
On hearing the shocking news of the deaths of her loved ones and many tribal warriors, Sammakka didn’t lose her courage, but readied herself for entering the battle. Wearing a kavacham (a metal plate, worn to protect the front side of trunk) and holding a sword she attacked the enemy forces. Showing her divine powers she shattered and terrorised the Kakatiya army that was confident of its victory. But, suddenly a Kakatiya soldier came and hit and stabbed Sammakka from behind. Sammakka killed the soldier behind her and quickly tied the wound with a cloth and fled away on a horse from the battlefield thinking that 'if her blood fell on the land, the land would become barren and never give any fruit'. She fled to the east of the Medaram village and disappeared.
After the battle, the tribals searched for Sammakka in the forest. They found a Kumkum (vermilion) Barinay (a tiny box to keep the vermillion) at a snake burrow in the shade of a Naga vruksham (tree). Tribals felt that their goddess Sammakka has turned in to a Kumkum Barinay. Ever since, once in every two years, on the day of "Magha Shuddha Purnima" the tribal women celebrate a festival at the place where the Kumkum Barinay was found. The tree was later cut off by the tribals who transformed it in to a symbol of Sammakka and built a gadde (platform). They also built another gadde) for Sammakka’s daughter Saralamma. They worship Deyyala Madugu thinking it to be Jampanna. Some pilgrims see a snake in the burrow of Ippa Chettu (tree), which is beside the Sammakka’s platform and believe that it is Sammakka’s husband Pagididda Raju.
People believe that the goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma fulfill their wishes with their divine and miraculous powers. Childless couples come to visit and pray the goddess to bless them with children.
Many pilgrims pay back their promises during the Jatara by offering Jaggery, calf, coconuts and donations in cash, etc. Pilgrims take bath in the Jampanna Vagu to get purified and get absolved from sins.

 The Ritual

Sammakka Sarakka Jatara is the time for the largest tribal religious congregation in the world, held every two years (biennually), with approximately six million people converging on the place, over a a period of three days, which is 90 km from Warangal city.
People offer bangaram (jaggery) of a quantity equal to their weight to the goddesses. Countless bullock carts congregate at the festival.

 Tribal spirit

Things have not changed much there since the Kakatiya times; about 1000 years from now in the past. The lack of involvement of the government has, however, helped the festival by and large retain its original spirit. It is a festival with no vedic or brahmanic influence. Goats and hens are sacrificed in thousands and a lot of liquor is consumed. The rituals performed during the festival unfurl the tribal spirit in its purest form. The very fact of the survival and thriving of this ancient tribal festival, in the face of several adversities, is a testimony of the indomitable resolve, honesty, uprightness and courage of the Girijans.
Until 1998, the only way to reach Medaram was by a bullock cart. Other than the four days of the biennial festival, there was not a single soul seen moving around in the area. It was a desolate place with no road or proper transportation. It was only in 1998 that the state government declared the 1000-yr old festival as official and laid down a motorable road.
In 2008, nearly 8 million people were estimated to have attended the festival. This fair is said to be the largest repeating congregation of tribal communities in the world. The traffic jam during the festival sometimes goes as far as 60 km on the Warangal highway.