Festivals

The Sammakka Saralamma Jatara at Medaram in Mulugu district is the great biennial festival of the Koya tribal community, honouring the mother and daughter goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma. Over four days in Magha, millions of devotees come to the forest village to offer bangaram – jaggery – and seek the goddesses' blessings.

The Komuravelli Mallanna Jatara is the long festive season of Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy – Mallanna – at Komuravelli in Siddipet district. After his kalyanam with Golla Kethamma and Medalamma in December, devotees throng the hill every Sunday from Sankranti to Ugadi, while Oggu pujaris draw the sacred patnam and sing the Lord's story.

The Nagoba Jatara at Keslapur in Adilabad is the sacred festival of the Mesram clan of the Gond and Pardhan communities, honouring Nagoba, the divine serpent and their supreme deity. It begins with a midnight Mahapuja using holy Godavari water brought on foot by the elders, and includes the Bheting ceremony that welcomes new brides into the clan.

The Peddagattu (Gollagattu) Jatara at Durajpally near Suryapet is the great biennial festival of Sri Lingamanthula Swamy and his sister Choudamma, the family deities of the Golla (Yadava) community. For about five days, lakhs of devotees of every background gather on the hillock with drums, bonams and vows – the second-largest jatara in Telangana after Medaram.

The Gangamma Jatara is the great folk festival of Tirupati's village goddess, Sri Tatayyagunta Gangamma. For about a week the town celebrates with colourful veshams – devotees take on a different disguise each day, remembering how the Goddess outwitted a tyrant – ending with the Viswaroopa darshan of the Goddess.