Lok Sabha Debates
Need To Declare ''Sammakka-Saralakka Festival Celebrated In Telangana As ... on 2 December, 2019
Seventeenth Loksabha > Title: Need to declare 'Sammakka-Saralakka festival celebrated in Telangana as national festival and request Union Government to upgrade the Musum already set up by the State government at Medaram.
*SHRIMATI KAVITHA MALOTHU (MAHABUBABAD): Thank you Speaker Sir, for giving me this opportunity. Once in every two years, tribal festival of Adivasis is celebrated in Medaram of Mulugu district in my constituency Mahabubabad. Samakka and Sarakka fought against Pratapa rudrudu who came to collect taxes and attacked that region with his soldiers. Samakka, Sarakka went towards chilakala gutta and disappeared. When villagers searched for them, they found a small casket of Kumkum. In Medaram, these small caskets of Kumkum are offered prayers in the name of Samakka and Sarakka. Sir more than 1 crore devotees participate in these celebrations, which is unheard of in any part of the world. Our Hon. Chief Minister Shri K Chandra Shekhar Rao, recently sanctioned Rs.75 crore for this festival to provide amenities like transportation and sanitation to the devotees.
I request Union Government to declare Samakka Sarakka festival as National Festival and provide support in celebrating this festival. State Government has set up a museum at Medaram and I request Union Government to upgrade that museum. I also request Central Government to sanction Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 1000 crore every year for this festival. Samakka Sarakka festival is attended by tribals from other states like Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Kerala. Therefore, I request that this festival may be declared as National festival.