Sammakka Temple Traditions Trace Deep Into History

Hyderabad: Motifs of unicorn, Pashupati and a unique Swastik, which are integral part of Koya community's tradition and rituals, have been carved on the Sammakka-Saralamma Temple at Mulugu, scheduled for launch in the last week of January 2026.

Unicorn, the one-horned antelope sacred to the fifth gotta of the Rayi Bandani lineage and associated with Sammakka Devi, is carved at the temple's main gateway.

The gateway also features wild buffalo horns adorned with six peacock feathers, symbolising Beramboyin Raju of the sixth gotta, also revered as Pashupati.

Another feature on the temple is the right-to-left Swastik, revered by the Koya community as a sacred symbol of nature’s movement. Unlike the commonly seen left to right Swastik, this form signifies the rotation of the Earth, planetary motion, and cyclones.

According to Sammakka-Saralamma Research Archaeology Institute founder Dr Mahipathi Arun Kumar, the unicorn and Pashupati symbols are linked to the Indus Valley Civilisation. "It is also believed that the people of that society were Koyas, and this connection has emerged during our studies," he said.

The other sacred symbols that have been incorporated include representations of Adi Shakti, tiger, horn instruments, birds, animals, the crescent moon, and the elephant. Overall, 7000 ancient images depicting genealogies, trees, birds, animals, and symbolic scripts carved on the temple.

The compound wall with 90 panels surrounds the temple. Of these, 45 outer panels resemble bamboo latticework, allowing airflow and visibility, while the remaining inner panels depict Koya clans, gotras, clan deities, and pictographic narratives explaining sacred Koya history.

The history of Sammakka-Saralamma is often viewed as relatively recent. However, it is deeply rooted in the history of undivided India, said Dr Kumar.

According to Kumar, palm-leaf manuscripts and oral traditions suggest that the Koya community once ruled 101 kingdoms across different regions of the subcontinent.

The temple’s construction posed a unique challenge, as there were no existing models for Adivasi temples. Students from a Koya village have been researching on their culture, traditions, folk literature, and Rela songs since 2010 under the Sri Sammakka Saralamma Archaeology Research Institute and prepared the temple design in a short span, he added.

The research centre has palm-leaf manuscripts collected from hills on Telangana Chhattisgarh border with evidence of Koya script, illustrations of royal lineages across three to seven clans (gottas), images of clan deities, and sacred symbols. Drawing on field research conducted in over 1,000 Koya habitations across the country, these materials were used to conceptualise the temple, Dr Arun added.