Known to be the 12th avatar of Lord Mahavishnu, Dhanvantari the Hindu Vedic God of Medicine. His birthday is celebrated just two days before Diwali as ‘Dhanteras’ or DhanaTrayodashi which is also celebrated as National Ayurveda Day in our country. He is the one who discovered the Ayurveda and is the guru of Sushruta & Charaka, says our puranas.

Called by different names like Divodasa and Kasiraja in Mahabharat, Dhanvantari emerged during the Samudra Manthan(churning of the ocean) from the depths of ‘Ksheera Sagar’- the cosmic milk ocean with a pot on Amrut(the divine nectar of immortality or Ambrosia).

As per the ancient stories, it is said that Lord Dhanvantari not only has the power to prevent all ailments, but also has the magical power to cure snake bites as well. To continue, the old Sanskrit work, ‘Vishnudharmottara’ describes him as a handsome male with stout, strong & long arms.

This reddish eye young man carries ‘Shankha’- a holy conch shell, ‘Amrut’ ‘Kumbha’- jug of holy nectar, ‘Sudarshana Chakra’-divine weapon-disc of energy and the ‘Jalauka’ or the Leech.

The well-known & oldest book on Ayurveda with three editions named the “Dhanvantari Nighantu” is penned down by God Dhanvantari himself, showcasing information on about 373 herbs & medicines. In fact he was the one who discovered the right use of turmeric & salt in featuring its antiseptic properties. To add on, he was a veteran of modern medical practises like plastic surgery & among others.

Reborn as the Prince of Kashi-the son of the King Dirghatamas, Divodasa who belonged to the Bahuja family gained knowledge from the sage Bharadwaja. As a young boy, he accepted self-denial measures & started teaching his disciples the Ayurveda benefiting every human being. “Ashtangas” known as the eight divisions on Ayurveda were later on prepared by him in ‘the great texts’ called the “Samhitas”.

Garuda Vahana Bhatta is the person who established one of the oldest figurines (dated back in the 12th century), of Lord Dhanvantari for the first time in the Shri Ranganathaswamy Temple. This legendary God honored for his achievements in medicine, made him recognized as one of the 9 gems of the court of King Vikramaditya.

No temples of Divodasa are seen in the Northern part of India, except one or two structures are present in the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda in New Delhi and the other in ashram of Haridwar. However, you can easily find many temples in the major parts of South India like Kerala, Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry.