Unesco intangible heritage tag in sight for Medaram jatara

Hyderabad: Telangana's famed Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, one of the world's largest tribal congregations, could soon earn global cultural recognition, with the state govt initiating steps to secure a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage tag for the iconic festival. After globally celebrated living traditions such as Nowruz, Diwali and Garba, the centuries old Medaram jatara — deeply rooted in tribal faith and folklore — is being positioned for inclusion on Unesco's prestigious list that honours cultural practices communities identify as integral to their identity. Towards this, the Telangana govt has engaged Kakatiya Heritage Trust (KHT), Warangal, to prepare a comprehensive nomination dossier on the Medaram jatara. The document will chronicle the festival's historical origins, ritual practices, belief systems and its wider social and cultural significance. According to KHT representatives, the dossier will be prepared strictly in line with Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage norms, which stress living traditions, community participation and intergenerational transmission. Inputs will be gathered from tribal elders, pujaris, historians, anthropologists and local communities to ensure authenticity, inclusiveness and community ownership.Held once every two years in the forests of Medaram in Mulugu district, the jatara draws over one crore devotees from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and neighbouring states. Tracing its origins to the 13th century, the festival commemorates Sammakka and her daughter Saralamma, revered as symbols of resistance, sacrifice and justice in tribal lore. Distinct ritualsKHT members said the documentation would underscore the jatara's distinctive rituals, including the symbolic worship of the goddesses through bamboo sticks smeared with turmeric and kunkum, and the offering of jaggery as sacred ‘bangaram' (gold). KHT brings prior experience to the exercise, having earlier worked closely with the Archaeological Survey of India on the successful nomination of Ramappa temple, which earned Unesco World Heritage site status."If the Unesco tag is secured, Medaram would become home to Telangana's first Intangible Cultural Heritage inscription, significantly enhancing the state's cultural standing on the global stage. The preparation of the dossier is expected to take at least one year, following which it will be submitted through the Union ministry of culture to Unesco for evaluation," said M Pandu Ranga Rao, retired professor from NIT Warangal and trustee of KHT.