75 lakh devotees visited Medaram so far: Errabelli Dayakar Rao

Mulugu: Nearly 75 lakh devotees have visited the Medaram Sammakka-Sarakka shrine before Sarakka was installed on the Gadde during this year’s biennial jatara, said Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao at Medaram on Thursday. He reiterated that the State government will strive to ensure national status for the Medaram jatara as it […]

Mulugu: Nearly 75 lakh devotees have visited the Medaram Sammakka-Sarakka shrine before Sarakka was installed on the Gadde during this year’s biennial jatara, said Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao at Medaram on Thursday. He reiterated that the State government will strive to ensure national status for the Medaram jatara as it is the second biggest congregation after the Khumb Mela in the country.

“In the last biennial jatara, the number of devotees who visited the shrine before Sarraka’s arrival at the Gadde was 50 lakhs, but this year, the figure is close to 75 lakhs devotees,” Dayakar Rao said, adding that they had been increasing the additional police force year by year for the bandobast. He said Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will arrive in Medaram at 11 am on Friday to pay obeisance to the tribal goddesses. “We are making all arrangements for the Chief Minister’s visit as he would stay at Medaram till 3 pm,” he added.

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Dayakar Rao, who is also the Rural Water Supply (RWS) Minister, said that Rs 10 crore was being spent by his department on the fair, and added that they were trying to make permanent arrangements for the benefit of pilgrims who arrive at Medaram from different States. “On the occasion of Chandrashekhar Rao’s birthday on Thursday, I prayed to the Goddesses to bless him to play a key role in the national politics,” Dayakar Rao said.

Earlier, the Minister undertook a 50-km radius aerial view of the arrangements made at Medaram fair. He also spoke with District Collector S Krishna Aditya and other officials. The Minister’s wife and chairperson of Errabelli Charitable Trust Usha Dayakar Rao accompanied him during the visit.