The Sammakka-Saralamma Maha Jatara, or Medaram Jatara, is Asia’s largest tribal festival. It is held every two years in Medaram, a small forest village inside the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary in Telangana’s Mulugu district. This festival honors the tribal goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma, celebrating their bravery and sacrifice. Medaram Jatara was recognized as a State festival in 1998. Since then, it has grown massively, attracting crores of tribal and non-tribal devotees from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and nearby states. The festival lasts four days, starting on a full moon day called Magha Suddha Pournami. It begins with the arrival of Saralamma, who is carried ceremoniously from Kannepally village, crossing the sacred Jampannavagu rivulet to her holy platform. Before this, two other deities, Pagididdaraju and Govindaraju, also come from nearby villages. The highlight is the arrival of Sammakka, brought in a special vermilion casket from Chilakalagutta. This moment marks the most sacred phase of the festival. The district police superintendent welcomes Sammakka by firing ceremonial rounds into the air with an AK-47 rifle, symbolizing the State’s formal salute. Thousands of devotees join the processions, some dancing and others in trance, chanting and beating traditional drums. The festival site becomes a buzzing hub of faith and tradition. Local legend says Sammakka was found as an infant in the forest and adopted by a ruler. She later married Pagididdaraju, and along with their family, died fighting ancient rulers. Pilgrims take ritual baths in the Jampanna Vagu river, and temporary facilities set up by the government support the large crowds. At the end of the festival, devotees begin returning home, enriched by the powerful spiritual experience of the Medaram Jatara, one of the world’s most remarkable tribal gatherings.