Medaram Maha Jatara Kicks Off with Sacred Mandamelige Festival

• The Medaram Maha Jatara, a biennial tribal fair in Mulugu district, Telangana, has commenced with the Mandamelige festival.
• Mandamelige, held a week before the main fair, is a crucial first phase rooted in Adivasi traditions, performed by Sammakka-Saralamma priests.
• Priests from various families performed rituals at different temples, including Sammakka, Saralamma, Govindarajulu, and Padigidda Raju.
• The festival involved cleaning temples, decorating altars, performing secret pujas, and a procession with 'boorugu' sticks and mango leaf garlands to ward off evil.
• Mandamelige marks the official start of the Maha Jatara's excitement, signaling readiness for the main event, with darshans suspended overnight.

Why It Matters: The Mandamelige festival, a week before the main event, officially signals the start of the Medaram Maha Jatara.