Religious fervour peaks as Sammakka ceremonially placed on Gadde at shrine, devotee influx set to surge

Amid a three-layer security cover, Mother Sammakka, brought in the form of a vermillion casket by a team of Koya priests from the Chilakalagattu hillock, was ceremonially placed on her Gadde (sacred platform) at the Medaram tribal shrine at 9.45 p.m on Thursday (January 29). Her arrival marked one of the most significant moments of the four-day biennial Sammakka–Saralamma Maha Jatara, which began on Wednesday (January 28).

The shrine premises continued to witness heavy crowds, with pilgrims arriving from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and other parts of the country.

Pilgrims offered prayers to the tribal deities through traditional rituals, including Bangaram (jaggery) offerings and animal sacrifices, seeking welfare of their families. The atmosphere remained festive, marked by traditional dances by tribal women and the sounds of horns and trumpets along the approach roads, adding to the religious fervour at Medaram.

Earlier, tens of thousands of devotees thronged the stretch from Chilakagutta hillock to tribal shrine at Thursday (January 29). Led by chief priest Kokkera Krishnaiah, the priests descended from Chilakalagutta around 6.55 p.m. after performing traditional secret rituals in accordance with Koya tribal customs.

Mulugu Superintendent of Police Sudhir R. Kekan along firing rounds into the air at Chilakalagutta in Medaram before bringing Goddess Sammakka to the shrine on Thursday night.
| Photo Credit:
NAGARA GOPAL

Devotees jostled for a glimpse of the procession as it moved towards the Medaram tribal shrine after Mulugu Superintendent of Police (SP) Sudhir R. Kekan fired a few rounds from an AK-47 assault rifle into the air as a mark of respect to the tribal deity as part of a long-standing tradition followed since 1996. The priestly team comprised Kokkera Krishnaiah, Mallyala Satyam, Siddaboina Muninder, Siddaboina Bokkanna, Kommu Swami and Kommu Janardhan, all of whom covered their faces with sacred red cloth as per tradition.

Koya priests, led by Kokkera Krishnaiah, bringing the presiding deity Sammakka in the form of casket of vermillion from Chilakalagutta near Medaram on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
NAGARA GOPAL

Ministers Danasari Anasuya Seethakka and Adluri Laxman Kumar, District Collector T.S. Divakara, other senior officials and volunteers were present during the event.

Along the 2.5-km stretch leading to the shrine, many devotees, particularly youths, climbed trees to get a clear view of the procession. It is estimated that at least one crore devotees will have darshan of Sammakka along with Pagididdaraju, Saralamma and Govindaraju who were already placed on the Gadde.

The arrival of Sammakka triggered scenes of heightened religious fervour, with devotees welcoming the deity along the route from Chilakalagutta to the altar by drawing rangoli, lighting lamps, offering animal sacrifices, and participating in tribal songs, drumbeats, dances and chants.