A bitter pill for devotees of Sammakka-Saralamma jatara

Just ahead of the Sammakka-Saralamma jatara slated to be celebrated at Medaram of Mulugu district from February 21 to 24, the soaring prices of goats have become a bitter pill for devotees who are worshipping forest deities

Mancherial: Soaring prices of goats have become a bitter pill for devotees who are worshipping forest deities Sammakka-Saralamma, just ahead of the biennial fair slated to be celebrated at Medaram of Mulugu district from February 21 to 24.

Traditionally, a major portion of devotees tend to sacrifice chickens and goats, while others offer jaggery equivalent to their weight to the two goddesses to express their gratitude for fulfilling their desires and helping them in being healthy. They prepare dishes using meat from goats and chicken. They organize a community lunch by inviting their relatives and friends and enjoy the food along with toddy or alcohol.

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According to the devotees and traders of this region, the prices of native goat meat have gone up from around Rs.600 per kg to over Rs.900 per kg in the town and goat markets run in Vempalli village in Hajipur mandal, Thandur, Chennur, Asifabad and several parts of the district due to the tribal fair. The spurt in the rates, however, is causing financial burden on the devotees who sacrifice the animals.

“I bought a goat weighing 15 kg for Rs.15,000 as against the usual rate of Rs.9,000 in a village of Tiryani mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district. The prices soared due to a significant rise in demand for goats from devotees in view of the Sammakka-Saralamma jatara. Generally, one could purchase the animals at weekly markets at reasonable prices,” Linga Murthy from Bellampalli said.

Notwithstanding the inflation, the devotees are visiting weekly markets in the district where the native breed of animals are traded. Some of them are scanning remote villages as well. Financially weak devotees are now content sacrificing chickens considering the abnormal increase in prices of goats.

Some of the devotees are buying hybrid goats, imported from Maharashtra and other states to perform the ritual. “But, the quality of meat of these animals and taste of the mutton curry does not match that of indigenous goat breeds,” Prasanth Pandirla, another devotee from Mancherial remarked. Of late, various breeds of goats belonging to the neighboring state are flooding the markets of the district.