Medaram Jatara Interesting facts

• Nearly 80 lakh devotes visited Medaram Jatara in 2010. Officials are expecting the number to reach one crore in 2012.
• More than five lakh devotees utilized the services of APSRTC during 2012 Medaram jatara. There is a chance that this number will increase this year.

APSRTC is running nearly thousand special buses to Medaram in for Medaram Jatara. A bus leaves MGBS, Hyderabad for every 20 minutes to Medaram.

Accommodation at Medaram

Medaram Sammakka Saralamma jatara is a tribal festival held for every two years. In 2012 the Jatara begins on 8^th February. Pilgrims, who reach Medaram Jatara, first take bath in the Jampanna vagu and go for the darshan of Deities. Government is constructing bathing ghats at the Jampanna vagu. Devotees take Jaggery which is offered to the deities.

Pilgrims who go to Medaram Jatara can get accommodation at the surrounding villages of Medaram. Accommodation will also be available in nearby places like Tandvai, Warangal etc. Warangal has many good hotels and lodges with good facilities. Temporary dwellings come up around the village during the festival. Those who want to stay in Medaram should take blankets, torch lights, match boxes, stove, and all the cooking equipment along with them. Medical kit also should be carried as a precautionary measure. Since there will be heavy rush of devotees it is better to avoid wearing gold ornaments. Children should be taken great care as there is a chance for them to miss in the crowd.

Warangal is the head quarters of the district of the same name and is situated between a latitude of 18’-4′ North and 79*-4’-28′ East longitude on Chennai – Delhi section of the South Central Railway at an altitude of about 900 Ft above the main sea level. Warangal is a centre of education for both academic and professional courses and a place of growing interest for a keen historian, an enthusiastic Geologist, an ambitious archaeologist and for a curious piligrim to explore more and more into the historic movements, a variety of geological formations, and the ancient temples available in and around the city. Rice mills, small scale industries, Beedi industries, Azam Jahi Textile mill besides Medical and Regional Engineering Colleges and Kakatiya University has made Warangal the second most important city in Telangana next to Hyderabad. The establishment of a link by rail; and the network of roads laid and developed from time to time have added to its importance as a commercial center.

History From 1155 AD
‘Orugallu’ occupies a special place in Andhara History and brought to prominence by kakatiya rulers, such as Prolaraju, Rudramadevi, Ganapathi Devudu and Prataparudra who ruled between 1199 A.D and 1323 A.D. Their kingdom spanned the entire area that lies between the Krishna and the Godavari rivers and includes the area which has been previously part of Deccan area, ruled by Andhra kings. This area was under the Tuluva rulers in the eighth century and was later taken over by the Chalukyas. Infact, Prolaraju defeated Yadava, the third, and brought it under his control. He ruled in between 1115 A.D and 1158 A.D. It was under his role that the capital has been shifited to Warangal from Hanamkonda. Prolaraju built the famous temples of Padmakshamma temple, Siddheswaralayam and Swayambhukesavalayam. He expanded the kingdom to the above mentioned areas in phases. Kakatiya Rudradeva succeed him in 1158 A.D and ruled it over till 1196 A.D. It was he who built the thousand pillar temple of Siva in Hanamkonda between 1196 A.D and 1256 A.D. Ganapathi Rudradeva ruled the kingdom and expanded it up to Nellore, downsouth. In 1199 A.D, work to build Orugallu Fort was initiated. Lakes of Pakala, Laknavaram, Ramappa and the Ramappa temple were built by him. Rudramadevi, Ganapati Rudra’s daughter, succeeded him and ruled till 1296 A.D. It was under her rule that the Swayambhudevalayam was built. Her grandson and pattren of literature Prataparudra succeded her in 1323 A.D until he was defeated by Mohammad Bean Tuglaq. Prataparudra had completed the work of Thousand Pillar Temple and opened it for public worship. Subsequently during 1335 AD and 1336 AD the Andhra area, was broken off into smaller states due to weakening of muslims role. Warangal area was ruled by Musunuri Katiahmayudu and Bhadrachalam area, by Musunuri Prolaya Naidu. The later had Koonavarans as his capital. In 1422 AD, Orugallu was captured by Bahumani sultans. Golkonda Kutubshahi defeated them and brought it under their control in the early 16th century. Shitab Kutubshahi was made the Governor of Warangal. In 1725 AD., Mogal kings have defeated the seventh Sultan, Abdul Hasam Tanishq and captured the Golkonda kingdom, in which Warangal was a part. Asafja Nijam-ul-mulk, became the ‘sibedar’ of the south and became the first ruler of Nizams governance. It remained under Nizam’s rule till 1945 AD when it became part of Hyderabad zone. In 1956 AD it was acceeded to Andhra Pradesh. Warangal being the centre, became the district headquarters. Some historians maintain that Orugallu had been built by Prolaraju in the 12th century. They contend that the district was formed by Tulus and was known as Vorakalli in a 8th century. Warangal was also believed to be known as ‘Tolini Koranakula’. It was also referred to as ‘Akshalinagaram’. Ragunatha Bhaskar referred to Warangal as ‘Ekasilanagaram’ in his popular literary work Aravabinakosam.

Formation Of Warangal District
Warangal was ruled by different dynastics. Sathavahanas, Chalukyas, Rashira kutas, West Chalukyas or Kalyani Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Musunuri kings, Rocharla rulers, Bahumanis, kutubshahis, Mogals, Asafjanis, many others have all ruled it at different periods. This district was previously, part of Kahmmam district. In 1905 AD, Warangal was made the district headquarters. The Warangal district was formed with Warangal, Pakala, Khammam, Yellandu, Mahabubabad, Madhira, Palvancha taluks and some area of old palvancha sanstan and some jagirs.This was bigger than many districts of old Hyderabad state.In 1953,there was no major shuffling of areas except for shifting of some villages from one taluka to the other. Subsequently, the district was divided to facilitate administrative control and on October 1, 1953 the Khmman district was formed. Khammam, Yellandu, Madhira, Burugunpahad and Palavancha talukas have been made part of it. Warangal, Mulugu, Mahaboobabad, Pakala remained in Warangal district. But Parkaala from Karimnagar and Janagaon from Nalgonda have become part of Warangal district. After these changes in 1953, a village of Janagaon taluka went to Medak district. Later no major changes have been taken place, except for name change of Parakala to Narsampura during 1960-61.

Geogrophical Position Of Warangal
Warangal is situated between 170 19′ and 180 36′ in the northern latitudinal line and between 700 49′ and 800 43′ on the eastern longitudnal line

Boundaries Of Warangal
Warangal is surrounded by Karimnagar on the northern side and Khamman and Nalagonda on the south.The area is 12,846 sq km. This is 4.67 % of the total are under our state and the district contributes 4.23% of states population, This district is full of mountain ranges and is at a height of 26548 metres.Three main mountain ranges characterise Warangal. On the southeastern side, the mountains range from Parakala to Aswaaraopeta in Khammam District. Another mountain range extends upto Adilabad, Further, Chandragiri hills and Metal hills in Hasanparthi are popular mountain ranges.

Weather In Warangal City
The district receives rain mainly during southwest monsoon and has a dry and hot weather for the rest of the year. Winter occurs between December and February and Monsoon between June and September. In Summer, the temperature crosses 400 centigrade, and during winter it falls below 150 centigrade.

Rainfall In Warangal
Average rainfall in the district is 1049mm per year, out of which, southwest monsoons contruibute 866 mm and northeast monsoon contributes 109mm. In summer, the district recieves 59mm rainfall and in winter about 15mm rainfall.

Various Rivers In Warangal
Godavari flows thro the district from Gangirams village of Mulugu Taluka and runs along the Eastern boundary. It flows south east and touches Burugumpadu in Khammam district, before entering East Godavari District. There are other rivers like Akeru, Muneru, Paleru which flow throu’ the district. Muneru originates from Elchuligutha of Kishiapuram village of Narasampet Taluka 19 k.m. on the downward flow. Pakala lake was buite. This lake travels 38 km. before merging with Vatlivagu near Govindapuram village of Mahabubabad taluk.

The Central Government appointed a civil servant, Keralite Vellodi Narayana Menon K, as Chief Minister of Hyderabad state on 26 January 1950. He administered the state with the help of bureaucrats from Madras state and Bombay state. In 1952, Telangana had tasted democracy for the first time when it participated in general elections and elected Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao as the Chief minister of Hyderabad State. The Telugu speaking people in Madras state enjoyed some form of democracy since 1920. During this time there were violent Mulki agitations by some Telanganites to send back bureaucrats from Madras state, and to strictly implement Mulki rules.

Meanwhile, Telugu-speaking areas (Andhra region) were carved out of an erstwhile Madras state by popular agitation by leaders like Potti Sri Ramulu to create Andhra State with Kurnool as its capital in 1953.

On December 9, 2009, the Government of India announced that the process for the formation of Telangana state would be considered upon introduction and passage of a separation statement by the state assembly of Andhra Pradesh.[1] The Government of India has since constituted a five member committee headed by Justice B. N. Srikrishna to study the feasibility of a separate Telangana state within the Indian Union.

History

The Telangana region is believed by some scholars to have been mentioned in the Mahabharata as the Telinga Kingdom[citation needed], inhabited by the tribe known as Telavana, who fought on the Pandava side in the great war of Mahabharata. There is also Pandavula Guhalu in Warangal district (where the Pandavas spent their life in exile (Lakkha Gruham).

In Treta yuga, it is believed that Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana spent their life in exile at Parnashala on the banks of the Godavari river, which is about 25 km from Bhadrachalam in Khammam District in the Telangana region.

Telangana has been the homeland to the Sathavahanas and Kakatiyas. Kotilingala in Karimnagar was the first capital of the Sathavahanas before Dharanikota. Excavations at Kotilingala revealed coinage of Simukha, the first Satavahana emperor.

The region experienced its golden age during the reign of the Kakatiyas, a Telugu dynasty that ruled most parts of what is now Andhra Pradesh from 1083 CE to 1323. Ganapatideva was known as the greatest of the Kakatiyas and the first after the Satavahanas to bring the entire Telugu area under one rule. He put an end to the rule of the Cholas, who accepted his suzerainty in the year 1210. He established order in his vast dominion that stretched from the Godavari delta and Anakapalle in the east to Raichur (in modern day Karnataka) in the west and from Karimnagar & Bastar (in modern day Chattisgarh) in the north to Srisailam & Tripurantakam, near Ongole, in the south. It was also during his reign that the Golkonda fort was first constructed by the Kakatiyas. Rani Rudramadevi and Prataparudra were prominent kings from the Kakatiya dynasty.

Telangana then came under Muslim rule in 14th century by the Delhi Sultanate, followed by Bahmanis, Qutb Shahis, and the Mughals. As the Mughal Empire began to disintegrate in the early 18th century, the Muslim Asafjahi dynasty established a separate state known as Hyderabad. Later, Hyderabad entered into a treaty of subsidiary alliance with the British Empire, and was the largest and most populous princely state in India. Telangana was never under direct British rule, unlike the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, which were part of British India’s Madras Presidency.

The language of the people was Dravidian, called Telinga. The race and language had a glorious history that spans over 1000 years. The people had distinct style of their own in the fields of literature, music, dance, painting and sculpture. This culture acted as a bridge between the North and South. There were many Buddhist monasteries built in this region. though it belonged to Dravidian family of languages. They have more affinity in customs, traditions and social institutions of marriage and the like with that of Sanskrit.

By nature the Telugus are considered to be emotional people. They combined in themselves the intellectual agnosticism of the Tamils and the mystic quality of the Bengalis, said Sarojini Naidu. The former state of Hyderabad, for instance, presented a polyglot character consisting of the Telugu speaking Muslims constituting an influential minority. After the merger of the two regions in 1956, many people migrated into Telangana from Andhra districts, resulting in new social tensions.

As Myron Weiner puts it, migrations sometimes have de-stabilizing effects, arousing intense conflicts. There is a healthy mixture of Aryan and non-Aryan traditions and customs here. In this region, customs and practices of Dravidian and Sanskrit features are reflected. In marriages essentially the form is Vedic and many local customs found place. Tying of mangalasutra and pouring talambralu are specially Andhra customs. They are seen in the marriage descriptions of Tikkanas Virataparva and in Ranganadharamayana.

The most important thing is cross cousin marriage, which never had the sanction of the law makers (smritikaras). This is purely a Dravidian and local custom which had to be accepted or tolerated. There was a custom of singing auspicious songs during the time of marriages from the period of the Satavahanas. Married women in this region wear rings on their second toe. They used to apply turmeric to the body and to the face before taking bath. They used to wear saris. Men used to wear dhotis. Both men and women adorned themselves with ornaments. Men and women used to tattoo their bodies. This information is found Peddannas Varudhini.

Women used to sweep the front yards in the morning and decorate the ground with powders of different colors. We find the descriptions about the decoration in Nannayas Mahabharata and Kridabhirama. During the period of festivals like Sankranti these front yard decorations became more interesting.

There were a large variety of these decorations. Mango leaves were tied to the porches for any auspicious occasion. Women used to decorate themselves with flowers. Men also used to grow long hair. They used to consume betel leaf, which was called tamboolasevanam.

People here were fond of intoxicant liquors. They used to make their own liquors. They had varied names depending on the quality. A detailed description is found in Simhasanadwatrimsika that the people of Srinadha’s period lived a luxurious life. There were facilities for the supply of water to houses and fountains.

Their houses were decorated. There were drawings on the walls of their bedrooms. Women use to wear bangles. There were houses serving food that were called pootakulla illu. Rulers used to visit their paramours. Kreedabhirama and Krishnaraya’s Amuktamalyada contain many interesting pieces of information about the social life of the people.

The food of the Andhras needs special mention. Srinadha presents to us the variety of items served. Till Portuguese introduced chilly the people used pepper. They used strong spices to flavor their food. The mango pickle with mustard (aavakaya) is renowned in the entire country.

The entertainment of this region is also varied. There were many kinds of sports and games. These interesting names are known from Gadhasaptasati and Kamasutra of Vastayana. There were literary gatherings, drinking parties and courtesan visits. There were cockfights for entertainment. Young children used to play with ivory dolls. Kings used to go for hunting. Wrestling and boxing were also competitively entertaining. Many of these forms of entertainment are still exist.

After the fall of Bahamani Kingdom,Warangal fell to the “Qutab Shahis” of Golkonda and thereafter it has came under the sway of Nizam’s dominitions.

Thus the city of Warangal has developed both under the political and historical influences of successive great kings.The Historical events and development occured in Warangal City. These are :-

1. Kakatiya  Stage               1260  -  1422
2. Transmission  Stage     1422  -  1725
3. Asifijahi  Stage                1725  -  1948
4. Modern  Stage                 1948 -   On Wards.