Curtains Go Down at Medaram With Tribal Deities Retreating into Forest

Warangal: The historic Medaram Maha Jatara, referred to as the Kumbh Mela of the south, concluded on an emotional note on Saturday evening with the ritualistic Vana Pravesham – the four tribal deities, who had emerged out to give darshan to the millions of faithful over four days, returning to their respective abodes in forests.The closing ceremony began on Saturday evening with the priests arriving at the sacred altars (Gaddelu) for the concluding prayers. Amidst a bittersweet atmosphere, the deities began their symbolic journey home.Goddess Sammakka has returned to the dense thickets of Chilakalagutta, Goddess Saralamma has departed for her shrine in Kannepalli, Pagididda Raju got escorted to Penugonda in Mahabubabad district, and Govindaraju headed back to Konda village in Eturnagaram mandal.The return of the deities marks the end of the biennial pilgrimage, as the tribal deities will remain the Vana Devatalu for the next two years.The rush of pilgrims showed no signs of diminishing on the concluding day. In fact, devotees, who could not visit Medaram during the previous three days, swarmed the venue for a final glimpse of the deities. The queues remained kilometres’ long, with the altars packed to capacity.Authorities halted the darshan briefly when the Vana Pravesham rituals commenced. Darshan resumed shortly to accommodate crowds arriving on the final day.Devotees expressed immense spiritual satisfaction at being able to have their darshan despite the record-breaking crowds.The biennial festival in Tadvai forest of Mulugu district in the state of Telangana has grown into India’s largest tribal congregation.Throughout the four days, the landscape had been defined by millions of pilgrims who purified themselves in the Jampanna Vagu, a stream named after Sammakka’s son. Sounds of Koya drums and the sight of traditional tribal dances showcased the rich cultural fabric of the region.With the cumulative attendance crossing 1.6 crore, the 2026 edition of Medaram Maha Jatara becomes one of the largest mass gatherings in recent history.



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