Dhanwanthari Temples in Kerala:
Lord Dhanwanthari is an avatar of Lord Vishnu in Hindu tradition. He appears in the Vedas and Puranas as the physician of the devas. Lord Dhanwanthari is believed as the God of Ayurveda. It is common practice in Hinduism to worship Lord Dhanvantari and seeking his blessings for sound health. Dhanwanthari was one of the ancient medical advisers in India. Its believed that the first surgery was made by him. His treatments were perfectly natural. He used herbs and natural medicines for curing diseases. He could even find out the medicinal purposes of turmeric, salt and such many commonly used things. He used turmeric as an antiseptic, salt as a preservative. He is also believed to be the pioneer of modern medical practices.
In modern medical science, we use anesthetic for all surgeries. But Dhanwanthari didn’t use anything like that for his treatment. Because of this, his methods were a lot more painful for the diseased ones. In spite of his crude methods, his treatments were known to be successful. Dhanwanthari is depicted as Vishnu with four hands, holding medical herbs in one hand and a pot containing of ‘Amritham’ in another. Birthday of Lord Dhanwanthari is celebrated every year which is two days before Diwali.
Dhanwanthari Temples in Kerala:
Anakkal Dhanwanthari
Koozhakottu Dhanwanthari
Maruthor Vattam Dhanwanthari, Alappuzha
Nelluvay Dhanwanthari, Thrissur
Thottuva Dhanwanthari, Ernakulam
Prayikkara, Alappuzha
