HYDERABAD: DEVOTEES can now travel to the Sammakka Saralamma Jatara in Medaram from Begumpet and return by hiring a helicopter for Rs 1.80 lakh.

The Telangana Tourism Department on Sunday launched helicopter services from Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad to the jatara. Those who want to have an aerial view of the jatara can also avail of the helicopter service at Rs 2,999, said the department officials.

About one crore devotees are expected to visit Medaram for the biennial Sammakka-Sarakka jatara, which is said to be the biggest tribal festival in Asia.

Medaram, which is located in Eturunagaram wildlife sanctuary in the newly-formed Mulugu district, is about 95 km from Warangal city. Every two years, devotees from Telangana and neighbouring states, including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, head to the jatra. It is expected that this year around 1.6 crore devotees may visit the Medaram shrine. According to the tourism department, air travel services have been launched in the view of the increase in the number of devotees going to the jatara.  

Speaking at the inauguration of the helicopter service, Tourism Minister Srinivas Goud, said, “Sammakka Saralamma Jatara is one of the major religious tourism attractions for a lot of devotees. Until now, devotees had to rely only on road transport to reach the spot. But now, they can also take the air route, which will not just save their time but will also give them a very nice experience.’’Those who wish to avail the helicopter services can contact 9400399999.

Earlier this month, the tourism department had also inaugurated the first Haritha resort in the Mulugu district to provide comfortable accommodation to tourists.