Medaram jatara: Efforts on to protect sanctity of Chilakalagutta

Authorities are taking steps to ensure that only Koya tribal priests have access to the hillock, and as part of this initiative, the Tribal Welfare department has resumed the construction of a fence

Mulugu: Efforts are underway to protect the sanctity of Chilakalagutta, a sacred hillock near the Sammakka-Sarakka tribal shrine at Medaram village under the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary limits in the SS Tadwai mandal.

Authorities are taking steps to ensure that only Koya tribal priests have access to the hillock, and as part of this initiative, the Tribal Welfare department has resumed the construction of a fence. Recently, the department allocated Rs.60 lakh to set up a GI fence spanning 425 metres around the hillock. On May 18, in the presence of officials, priests performed a ceremony to commence the construction. It is worth noting that a fence was previously erected around the hillock, extending approximately 600 metres.

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The officials aim to complete the new fencing works before February next year, in time for the biennial major jatara. Expressing their satisfaction with the government’s efforts, Siddaboina Jagga Rao, the president of the Medaram Priests Association, said during the jatara, some visitors were disrespecting the sanctity of Chilakalagutta by attempting to climb it and engaging in activities such as open defecation, littering, cooking, and drinking.

Stressing the sacred significance of the hillock, Rao stressed the need for the government to enforce restrictions on climbing, allowing only the designated priests access to this revered place, which is the dwelling of Goddess Sammakka, the presiding deity of the Medaram tribal shrine. It may be added here that the BRS government had been paying special attrition to improve the facilities for the benefit of the devotees visiting Medaram besides protecting the sanctity of the temple and its surroundings by allocating huge funds.

Significance of the hillock: During the biennial jatara, a group of Koya priests ascends Chilakalagutta, situated 2 km from the shrine, to retrieve a casket filled with vermilion, believed to house the Sammakka deity. This mega jatara, which spans four days, attracts a staggering number of devotees—approximately one crore—from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha.