The historic stupendous Sammakka Sarakka jatara at Medaram village came to a close here after the tribal priests took back the deities to their abodes from here on Saturday around 5 p.m.
The flood of devotees continued even on the final day and mostly officials and public representatives came in large numbers expecting less rush. Though the queue lines were sparse, the rush at the altar was heavy.
The priests of Sarakka took the deity to her temple at the Kannepalli which is six kilometres from Medaram and the priests of Sammakka took the deity back to Chilkalgutta hillocks two kilometres from the village. They were accompanied by the police and revenue officials.
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Several VIPs came to jatara to offer prayers and they included Union Minister Arjun Munda and State ministers Indrakaran Reddy, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Satyavathi Rathod, Legislative Council Chairperson G. Sukender Reddy, Legislative Assembly Speaker P. Srinivas Reddy and scores of others had darshan at the altar.
Unsung heroes
District Collector R. V. Karnan and Superintendent of Police S. S. G. Patil held a meeting with the heads of all departments and thanked them for the smooth conduct of the jatara.
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Mr. Karnan said the actual work begins after the jatara as over 1,000 sanitation personnel were engaged to spruce up the area for the next 10 days. “We are all show people but sanitation people are real unsung heroes. They clean up the human excreta and animal waste risking their lives. They clean and sprinkle bleaching powder. The medical camps here will continue for one more month and will be on surveillance to check any epidemic,” he said.
The foul smell and the filth left behind by the lakhs of devotees poses threat to the lives of tribals inhabiting Medaram and surrounding villages. It results in skin and breathing diseases. “I salute every sanitation worker. They are the real heroes,” Mr. Karnan said.