Hyderabad, Jan. 29 -- Indigenous people from different parts of the country began thronging Medaram, a tiny hamlet in Tadwai forests of Telangana's Mulugu district, for the four-day biennial tribal fair - Sammakka Saralamma jatara, which began on Wednesday.

Considered to be the biggest tribal festival of the country, Sammakka-Saralamma jatara is expected to witness a record turnout of around 20 million tribals and non-tribals from across the country, particularly from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal.

The tribal fair is celebrated to worship two tribal women - Sammakka and her daughter Saralamma of the 13th century, in the form of deities, on "Magha Suddha Pournami" (...