Hyderabad: As many as 3,199 medical staff have been deployed for the Sammakka–Saralamma Jatara, India’s largest tribal festival, Telangana Health Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha said on Saturday, January 10.
Reviewing the healthcare preparedness, the minister said that three hospitals, including a 50-bed main hospital at Medaram, have been arranged to handle emergencies. Additionally, 30 medical camps have been set up in and around the Jatara area and 42 en-route camps have been set up across eight major routes leading to Medaram.
A total of 35 ambulances have been arranged for golden-hour emergency care and 248 types of medicines stocked, including paediatric drugs and anti-snake venom, Rajanarsimha said.
MGM Warangal and Mulugu District Hospital would be available for service round-the-clock and continuous field-level monitoring would be undertaken to ensure zero lapses, the Health Minister said.
Sammakka–Saralamma Jatara
Sammakka–Saralamma Jatara, taking place from January 28 to 31, is India’s largest tribal festival where devotees from various states of south and central India come to offer prayers.
The festival is held honouring the tribal deities Sammakka and Saralamma (mother and daughter), who were believed to have fought courageously against the Kakatiyan rulers.
Legend has it that the battle between the Koya tribes and Kakatiyan rulers took place after they refused to pay the taxes imposed by the rulers of the time.
In the war, Sammakka’s husband and tribal king, Pagididdaraju, was killed, after which Sammakka and her daughter Saralamma fought bravely against the Kakatiyan rulers.
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