Dhanvantari
Dhanvantari is an avatar of Vishni in Hinduism. He Appears in the Vedas and Puranas as the physician of the Gods, and the God of Ayurveda. It is very common practice in Hinduism for worshipers to pray to Dhanvantari seeking his blessings fo sound health for themselves and others.
As per Bhagavata Purana, Dhanvantari emerged from the Ocean of Milk and appeared with the pot of amrita during the Samudra or Sagara Mathana. The pot of Amrita was snatched by the Asuras, and then with another avatar, Mohini, appears and takes the nectar back from the Asuras. It is also believed that Dhanvantari promulgated the practice of Ayurveda.
According to ancient mythology the Vishnudharamottara,
Dhanvantari is a beautiful, handsome individual and with four hands, holding
Shankha, Chakra, Jalauka (leech) and a pot containing rejuvenating nectar
called amrita.
Dhanvantari (God of Ayurveda) birthday is celebrated
by the practitioners of Ayurveda every year, on Dhanteras, two days before
Diwali.
India is traditionally worships many Gods and God of
Ayurveda, Dhanvantari also have some temples in South India especially in
Kerala and Tamil Nadu. These two states are highly practiced and patronized the
ayurveda. The Dhanavatari temple in Thottuva in Kerala is a particularly famous
temple, where Lord Dhanavatari idol is almost six feet tall and facing east. On
the right hand the lord holds Amrith and with the left hand the lord holds
Atta, Shanku and Chakra.
Also in Tamil Nadu, in the courtyard of Sri
Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam), there is a Dhanvantari shrine where daily
worship of the deity is performed. In front of this temple there is an engraved
stone believed to be from the 12th century. According to the writings on the
stone, Garuda Vahana Bhattar, a great ayurvedic physician, established the
statue inside the temple. A prasada or teertha, an herbal decoction, is given
to the visitors.
Video Links:
Om shree Dhanvanthre namah
Dhanvantri Mantra Chants with text:
Dhanwanthari Suprabatham:
Sri Dhanvantari for relief from all diseases:
Other Dhanvanthari temples in India:
Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram, Tamilnadu
Thevalakkadu Sree Dhanwanthari Temple Kottayam, Kerala,
Kulasekharamangalam Post, Vaikom, Kottayam, Kerala,
Aanakkal Dhanwanthari Temple, Thaniyathukunnu,
Thrissur, Kerala,
Sree Dhanwanthari Temple, Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu.
Sree Dhanwanthari Temple,
Maruthorvattom,Cherthala,Kerala,
Sree Dhanwanthari Temple, Prayikara, Mavelikara,
Alleppey, Kerala,
In Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh,