Sammakka Saralamma Jathara, also known as Medaram Sammakka Sarakka Jatara, is the largest tribal fair in the world. It is held once in two years with lot of gusto for 4 days during Magha Purnima. In 2012, Medaram Sammakka Sarakka Jathara dates are – Jatara starts on February 8 and ends on February 11. It is celebrated at Medaram village near Yeturu Nagaram of Warangal district in Andhra Pradesh.

Here are the full details of dates and schedule of Medaram Sammakka Saralamma Jatara 2012:

February 8, 2012 – Goddess Saralamma will arrive to Platform (Gadde).
February 9, 2012 – Goddess Sammakka will arrive to Platform (Gadde).
February 10, 2012 – Devotees offer naivedyam or other offerings like ‘Bangaram (bellam – jaggery).
February 11, 2012 – Last day of Sammkka Sarakka Jathara. Goddess Sammakkar and Saralamma will return back in to forest.

The city was once the heartland of Telugu culture. The capital of the Kakatiya rulers, Warangal today contains some of the best forms of architecture, especially temples.

The 1000-pillar temple and the Ramappa temple in the district are glowing examples of the exquisite architecture patronized by the Kakatiyas.

Warangal city today is part of a cluster of three towns: Warangal, Kazipet and Hanamkonda, the district headquarters’. Bound on the Northern part by the mighty Godavari River, the district has large tracts of forest and an array of flora and fauna

The district is also known for its picturesque lakes, hand-woven thick cotton fibre carpets, scroll painting done on cloth in earth colours mainly at Cheriyal nearby, and sheet-metal artistry at Pembarti.

Prime Attractions

• Thousand Pillar Temple
  This temple is a fine specimen of Kakatiya architecture and sculpture. It was built by Rudra Deva in 1163 AD in the style of Chalukyan temples, star shaped and triple shrined. The 3 shrines are dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. The temple is famous for its richly carved pillars, screens and detailed sculpture. The black basalt Nandi, a monolith, has a lovely polished finish.

• Bhadra Kali Temple
  Situated on a hilltop between Hanamkonda and Warangal, it is noted for its stone image of the Goddess Kali. She is depicted with eight arms and carries a weapon in each hand.

• Warangal Fort
  Warangal fort is 12-km from Hanamakonda, which dates back to the 13th century. The Kakatiya king, Ganapati Deva and his daughter Rudramma built the fort. Though the main fort has been ravaged over time, the remains of the four huge stone gateways, similar to those of Sanchi, along with several exquisite pieces of sculpture can still be seen in and around the fort.

Excursions

• Ramappa Temple
  Also know as Ramalingeswara temple, this is situated in Palampet village, which is 70-km form Warangal This is a magnificent monument dating back to 1213 AD depicts the glory and richness of the Kakatiya kingdom.

• Kolanupaka
  Kolanupaka, 80-km from Hyderabad , is situated between Hyderabad and Warangal. This was the second capital town of Kalyani Chalukyas during the 11th century AD. During this period the village was a religious centre of Jains, and ranks among other great Jain centres in the south. It was also a great centre of Shaivism. Literary evidences reveal ‘Kolanupaka’ as the birthplace of ‘Renukacharya’ the great ‘Vira Saiva’ saint, believed to be born from the ‘Svayambaghu Linga’ at this village and absorbed into it after preaching Vira Saivism.

• Jain Mandir
  The 2,000-year-old Jain temple of Mahaveer is a famous place of worship for Jains in the country. The temple is embellished with beautiful images of Thirthankaras. The 5ft high image of Mahavira is entirely carved of Jade.

• Sri Veeranarayana Temple
  The temple is constructed in the Chalukyan style around 1104 AD. The appearance of the temple indicates that it was originally a Jain temple converted into a Vaishnava shrine.

• Someshwara Temple
  Someswara III the Kalyani Chalukya emperor constructed the temple of Someswara. Rare specimens of architecture and sculpture of the western Chalukyan period can be found in this temple.

• Kolanupaka Site Museum
  Kolanupaka came into prominence when it was made the alternate capital of the Kalyani Chalukyas in the 11th century AD. The State Department of Archaeology and Museums established a sculptural gallery, which exhibits artifacts from the various historical monuments in Kolanupaka.

• Pakhal Lake
  A manmade lake completed in 1213 AD by the Kakatiya king, Ganapathidev, by harnessing a small tributary of the Krishna River. It is located 50-km from Warangal and spreads over an area of 30-sq-km.

How To Reach Warangal

By Air

The nearest airport to Warangal is at Hyderabad which is at a distance of around 130 Km from here. It is best to hire a taxi from the airport to Warangal as it takes the least time and is quite comfortable. It will take around 3 hrs to cover the distance.

By Rail

Warangal has its own railway stations that connects it to almost all parts of India. The station lies on Delhi-Chennai main line which has many important trains running on it and all have a halt at Warangal.

By Road

Warangal has good network of roads that connect it to all the important cities of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad is the closest major city to Warangal. There are regular APSRTC buses plying between the two cities. There are private buses as well.

Local Transportation

Auto rickshaws are the most common mode of transportation inside the city and the cheapest as well. You can hire a taxi which is the most comfortable way of getting around in the city. You will also find good number of buses connecting distant parts of the city.

Eturnagaram Sanctuary is home to wide variety of reptiles, carnivorous and other animals such as Mugger Crocodiles, Python, Cobra, Krait, Tiger, Panther, Leopard, Wolf, Jackals, Sloth Bears, Black Buck, Chousingha, Nilgai, Sambar, Wild Dogs, Spotted Deer and Chinkara. The tropical dry deciduous type of vegetation of the region provides favorable grounds for the growth of trees like Teak, Bamboo, Madhuca and Terminalia.

Wildlife buffs make it a point to come here and enjoy wide ranging wildlife attractions at Eturnagaram Sanctuary. The best way of exploring the vast flora and fauna of this place is to undertake an Eturnagaram Sanctuary Safari Tour. The tour provides best opportunities to visitors in getting up-close to nature and natural habitat of the animals. The best time to visit is from October to April. The nearest airport is at Hyderabad while regular busses are available from Warangal which is 110 km from the sanctuary.

Pro-Telangana supporters celebrated the central government decision while those from the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions (Andhra region) protested. In fact, within a short time of the Home Minister’s declaration, sensing the public mood, MLAs from the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions (Andhra region) submitted their resignations in protest of the process of creation of a new state within Andhra Pradesh. By the 16th of December, at least 147 legislators (including Praja Rajyam Founder Chiranjeevi) and many Members of Parliament had resigned in protest of the Government’s decision to begin discussions on forming a new state of Telangana. 22 Ministers from the State Cabinet, all from Andhra (Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema) regions submitted their resignations.

On December 16, media reports confirmed that there was a split in the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) over the Telangana issue, with its leader Chiranjeevi as well as 16 out of 18 party MLAs(the remaining 2 hailed from Telangana) opposing the division of Andhra Pradesh while Telangana leaders in the party were unhappy with the shift in the party’s views.

On December 23, the Government of India announced that no action on Telangana will be taken until a consensus is reached by all parties. The TRS reacted by calling for another general strike on 24th Dec ’09, an action aimed at stalling the regional economy.

A Joint Action Committee (JAC) was formed with the pro-separation members of the major political parties. There were reports that members of the JAC had widely divergent approaches on the issue of a separate Telangana. Subsequently, Andhra (Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema) region MLAs started withdrawing their resignations while MLAs and ministers from Telangana started submitting their resignations, demanding the Centre to take immediate steps to initiate the process of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh. The Home minister had an all party meeting on the 5th of January to elicit views of all parties in the State. Further, on the advice of Congress party’s central leadership, all of the Ministers from Telangana withdrew their resignations. Rallies, hunger strikes, suicides continue, sometimes turning violent, through out Telangana to protest against the delay in bifurcating the State. The all-party Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) started relay hunger strikes and threatened resignations of all legislators on Jan 28, demanding the Centre to spell out its stand on separate Telangana and start the process of creating the State within a timeframe. The Union minister for Home Affairs P Chidambaram announced on January 28 that a Committee to examine the demand for a separate Telangana would be announced after a week. On the 3rd February the government announced the 5 member committee that would look into the issue of Bifurcation of state.

The Telangana Joint Action Committee said the agitations would continue until a Bill was passed in Parliament for the formation of a Telangana State. Agitation involved human chains, community kitchens on roads, amongst others On Feb 3rd JAC organized a longest human chain in India, a distance of 500 km, from north to South in Telangana.

The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has supported a separate Telangana state by giving the slogan, “Justice for Telangana and Telangana for Justice” The Jamaat with its student wing Students Islamic Organisation of India organized a large rally at Nizam college grounds on February 7, 2010.

On February 12, Central government announced Terms of Reference to B.N. Srikrishna Committee with a deadline of December 31, 2010. Telangana-JAC rejected the terms of reference saying that it “undid” Union home minister’s statement in New Delhi on December 9, 2009.

On February 16, Congress legislators from the Telangana region resigned from the Joint Action Committee due to “unilateral actions by KCR.

As of February 22, 2010, more than 250 Telangana people committed suicides over the delay in the formation of Telangana state.

Sri Krishna Committee solicited suggestions/views from the political parties, social organisations and other stakeholders on February 21. Committee received over 60,000 petitions by the deadline of April 10. The committee began personal interactions with the various stakeholders, including the political parties starting from April 16. The committee met with the leaders of TRS, PRP, CPI, MIM, TDP leaders from Seema-Andhra, TDP leaders from Telangana and various organizations from though out Andhra Pradesh.