Medaram Maha Jatara 2026 Dates Finalized

The dates for the Medaram Maha Jatara 2026, often referred to as Telangana’s Kumbh Mela, have been officially finalized by the temple priests and organizers. The massive tribal fair will be celebrated from February 18 to 21, 2026, at Medaram village in Tadwai mandal, Mulugu district, Telangana.

Recognized as the largest tribal festival in Asia, the Medaram Jatara honors the valiant mother-daughter duo Sammakka and Saralamma, revered as Vanadevathalu (forest deities) by tribal communities, especially the Koya tribe. The event attracts over 1.5 crore devotees, surpassing even some of the biggest pilgrimages in the country.
Tentative Schedule for Medaram Maha Jatara 2026:

February 18 (Wednesday): Arrival of Saralamma, along with Govindaraju and Pagididda Raju, to the sacred Gadde (altar).

February 19 (Thursday): Sammakka Thalli will descend from Chilakalagutta and reach the Gadde, marking the spiritual peak of the festival.

February 20 (Friday): Devotees offer prayers, perform rituals, and give jaggery offerings (bangaram) to the tribal deities. This is the day when maximum footfall is recorded.

February 21 (Saturday): The Vanapravesham (return to the forest) takes place, symbolizing the return of the deities to their forest abodes. It marks the conclusion of the fair.

Cultural and Spiritual Significance:

The Medaram Jatara commemorates the fight of Sammakka and Saralamma against the oppressive Kakatiya rulers, who imposed taxes on tribal people. These deities are honored not with idols but with symbolic representations such as bamboo sticks and rituals deeply rooted in tribal customs.

This biennial festival, organized by the Telangana State Government, is a state festival, and extensive arrangements are made for transport, sanitation, drinking water, medical aid, and crowd management. The government also provides free transport via TSRTC buses from major towns and cities to Medaram.

Devotees, cutting across religions, castes, and regions, participate with unwavering devotion, offering jaggery equal to their body weight, performing bonalu, and bathing in the Jampanna Vagu, a stream named after Sammakka’s warrior son