Warangal: Tribals and non-tribals from across Telangana and neighbouring districts thronged Medaram for the biennial event, billed as the largest tribal fair in Asia. Thousands of devotees made a beeline to offer prayers to tribal deities at Medaram in Telangana’s Mulugu district as the Sammakka Sarakka Jatara reached a climax on Friday.

As thousands of devotees waited with bated breath, the Superintendent of Police SSG Patil fired several rounds in the air heralding the arrival of Sammakka.

Devotees went into frenzy with chants. Some cut a chicken and hurled it into the air as an offering. The devotion reached a crescendo as the devotees vied with each other to reach out to the altar of Sammakka and Sarakka.

For the tribals, who came all the way from neighbouring Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Odisha and from Eturunagaram, Bhadrachalam, Venkatapuram, Manuguru, and other places in Andhra Pradesh, the festival has spiritual relevance. They all look up to Sammakka and Sarakka as their family deities.