Medaram Gaddelu Installation Sets Stage For Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara
The ceremony was attended by panchayat raj minister Seethakka, district collector T.S. Divakar, police superintendent Sudheer Ramnath Kekan, Tribal Priests Association president Siddaboina Jagga Rao, and executive officer Veeraswamy.
WARANGAL: Preparations for the Sammakka–Saralamma Jatara, Asia’s largest tribal festival, reached a significant stage on Wednesday with the traditional installation of deities on newly constructed platforms (Gaddelu) at Medaram in Tadvai mandal of Mulugu district.
Following ancestral tribal rituals, the idols of Pagididda Raju and Govinda Raju were formally installed at the temple premises. The installation began early in the morning, with Govinda Raju’s platform consecrated at 6 am and Pagididda Raju’s at 9.45 am.
The ceremony was attended by panchayat raj minister Seethakka, district collector T.S. Divakar, police superintendent Sudheer Ramnath Kekan, Tribal Priests Association president Siddaboina Jagga Rao, and executive officer Veeraswamy. To preserve the sanctity of the secret tribal rituals, the general public was barred from the vicinity of the platforms and devotees’ darshan was suspended for the day.
Addressing the gathering, the minister said the relocation and renovation works were undertaken only after obtaining formal consent from native tribal priests. She explained that the objective of the renovation was to ensure a smoother and more convenient experience for the millions of devotees expected to visit during the Jatara.
By aligning the deities in a single row, the government aims to facilitate faster and more orderly darshan, she said, adding that several meetings were held with tribal elders and priests to ensure the changes did not violate religious traditions or sentiments.
Highlighting the cultural significance of the rituals, the minister said turmeric holds central importance in Adivasi traditions, serving both ritualistic and medicinal purposes in the past. She noted that Goddess Sammakka belonged to the Bandari (Pasupu) Gotram.
She also explained that Adivasi customs follow the ‘Law of Nature’, wherein rituals and tasks are performed from right to left, a movement aligned with natural planetary motion.
The installation ceremony was marked by traditional Adivasi drum beats (Dolu) and tribal dances. Expressing satisfaction at participating in the first phase of the temple’s reconstruction, the minister assured that all remaining works would be completed well in time for the mega festival scheduled in January.
