MULUGU: With the ceremonial return of the tribal deities to the forest, the Sammakka–Saralamma jatara concluded on Saturday in the tiny village of Medaram in Mulugu district. On the fourth day of the jatara, tribal priests performed age-old rituals and conducted the sacred vana vana pravesam (return to the forest), marking the departure of the goddesses from their alters.
As part of the vana pravesam, Sammakka was taken back to Chilakalagutta, Saralamma to Kannepalli village, Pagididda Raju to Poonugondlu village in Kothaguda mandal and Govindaraju returned to Kondayi village in Eturnagaram. Police personnel and district administration officials paid homage to the tribal deities as they were sent back into the forest.
Even after the deities returned to the forest, thousands of pilgrims continued to stream into Medaram to offer prayers and submit offerings, leaving the alters and surrounding roads packed, with people waiting for hours in long queues. According to the tribal welfare minister, around 1.5 crore pilgrims had offered prayers to the deities till Saturday afternoon and although the jatara has concluded, devotees are expected to keep arriving for darshan for over a week, with traders and service providers also staying back as the festive atmosphere and crowds continue.
However, as pilgrims who had camped at Medaram began vacating their tents and leaving the area, heavy traffic was reported on the Narlapur–Pasra and Tadvai–Hanamkonda roads, while the TGSRTC bus station witnessed a similar rush, with long-distance pilgrims, particularly women passengers, waiting for buses to return to their destinations.
The Mulugu police and district administration authorities came under criticism for failing to take adequate precautionary measures to manage traffic congestion during the Medaram jatara, as large crowds struggled to exit the area smoothly following the conclusion of the festival.
