Medaram Jathara Festival

In News 

• Medaram Jathara Festival is being celebrated from 16th-19th February 2022.

About Medaram Jatara

• It is a tribal festival of honouring the goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma celebrated in the state of Telangana, India. 
  • The Jathara was designated as a State Festival in 1996, owing to the festival’s popularity and auspicious importance. 
•  It commemorates the fight of a mother and daughter, Sammakka and Saralamma, with the reigning rulers against an unjust law.
• It is celebrated once in two years in the month of “Magha” (February) on the full moon day.
• It is the second-largest fair of India, after the Kumbh Mela, celebrated by the second-largest Tribal Community of Telangana- the Koya tribe for four days.
• It is a festival with no vedic or Brahmanic influence.
• At present, the Jathara festival is biennially celebrated and organized by the Koyas in collaboration with the Tribal Welfare Department, Government of Telangana.

Governments initiatives 

• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ continuous support of this festival aims to generate awareness and a harmonious bond between the visitors and the Tribal communities of Telangana. 
• It assists the tribals to preserve their unique Tribal Traditions, Culture and Heritage and promote their tribal History on a global scale. It is also an embodiment of the spirit of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.

Source: PIB