ADILABAD: The Nagoba jatara, the second biggest festival in Telangana after Sammakka Saralamma Jatara in Warangal, commenced on Monday night in Keslapur village, Indravelli mandal.
Organised by the state government, the festival is a significant cultural event for the Meshram clan and other tribal communities in the region. The annual celebrations begin on the new moon day of Pushya Masam.
At midnight, members of the Meshram clan perform the abhishekam for the deity of the Snake God, using water fetched from Godavari river. The celebrations will continue until February 4, with the Darbar scheduled for January 31. According to Meshram Anand Rao, preparations for the jatara start 15 days prior to the festival.
A group of 70 Meshram family members undertake a traditional journey by foot, covering around 75 km from Keslapur to Hasanmadugu in Jannaram mandal to collect water from Godavari. They carry the water back to Keslapur and tie it to a banyan tree a day before the festival begins.
Around 2,500 Meshram families gather under the banyan tree to offer prayers and participat e in the week-long celebrations. As many as 600 police officers have been deployed and 100 CCTV cameras and drone surveillance will be used to monitor the area.
Holiday on January 31
In view of the Darbar on January 31, District Collector Rajarshi Shah has declared a holiday for all government and private educational institutions in the district.