Medaram gears up for spiritual extravaganza

Medaram: The Medaram extravaganza is back in the semi-deciduous forest of Tadvai, abutting River Godavari that once a treacherous trek now metamorphosed into a most sought-after spiritual destination for the devotees of Sammakka, Saralamma deities.

What started as a jatara (fair) of a few indigenous sects circa 13th century is now a congregation of both the tribals and non-tribals.

The jatara that happens biennially has always leaves an indelible impression on devotees that it was like 'never before ever after'. Thanks to the ever-increasing crowds to the carnival over the last six to seven decades.

If the pre-jatara rush that now running into lakhs is any precursor, the exodus of devotees descending on Medaram during the four-day fiesta that begins on *Magha Sudha Pournami* February 5 could well be more than one crore.

The authorities predict that the overall footfall of the devotees, including a fortnight either side of the main jatara, would easily cross one-and-a-half crore.

The transformation of the jatara was such that it has seen devotees turning to Medaram from ox-wagon carts to Volkswagen cars. Now the devotees have chopper services at their disposal.

With the devotee footfall increasing by leaps and bounds, the State-owned RTC introduced bus services to Medaram in 1966 with a fleet of little over 100 buses. Now, the administration is running 4,000 buses from all corners of the State.

After the government recognised the jatara as the State festival in 1996, the authorities constructed a compound wall around the temple and iron grills around the altars, 'gaddelu' in local parlance, of Goddesses.

In 2016, the temple precinct was spruced up laying granite slabs. On the other hand, the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) in collaboration with Telangana State Aviation Corporation has launched chopper services between Hyderabad and Medaram.

The package allows six persons to and fro at a total cost of Rs 1.80 lakh exclusive of GST. It includes Helicopter tariff, a vehicle from helipad to the temple and VIP Darshan.

In the other package, a person can have an aerial trip around the Medaram jatara by paying Rs 3,000. Further details can be had by calling on 9400399999.