Dhanwantri temple at Nelluvaya, Thrissur Dist

Dhanteras has given me a new perspective especially after my Kerala visit. Reading up more and more about Dhanwantri I came to know that Dhanteras (Dhantrayodashi, two days before Deepavali) is also Dhanwantri Jayanthi. Dhanwantri is the God of Medicine. When the ocean was churned to get the elixir of immortality, along with other treasures, Lord Dhanwantri, a form of Vishnu appeared holding a pot of nectar or Amrit in his hands.

It was our good friend, Sam, who first told us about the Nelluvaya Dhanvantri Temple in Thrissur district. It is an ancient Vishnu temple with Dhanvantri, the God of Medicine as the leading deity. Senthil and I decided to leave our hotel at Guruvayoor at 6 am. The driver was unfamiliar with the temple, so we relied on Google Maps. It was a 30 min ride. The car turned into a narrow road. This brilliant lush green can only be witnessed in Gods own country. The location was a feast for the eyes.

Google led us down a winding quite narrow road, making me feel like I was living in one of the Malayalam movies we often watch. I almost expected Actor Suraj Venjaramoodu to walk by! “You have arrived”, declared Google. Clambering out of the car, we found a grassy path which obviously led to the back entrance of the temple, and after stepping down carefully, we entered the premises. The architecture was typical Kerala type with a conical roof. In most Kerala temples the men have to remove the shirts and go bare chested. But almost 80% of the men wear the shirt on one arm! And these days women in salwar and leggings are also allowed unlike a few years ago.

It was early so there were hardly any people. There were two women stringing garlands quietly and about 8 people who seemed like local regulars.

The Dhanvantri Murthi was not too tall about 4 feet and obviously was several 1000 years old. He had the conch on one hand and the chakra on the other. And in the front set of hands a bowl of Amrit and on the other a leech to signify the ancient method of sucking out bad blood from the body. There is a legend which says that the temple authorities sculpted a new idol of Dhanvanthri and while they were bringing the idol for consecration, Ashwini devathas or the angels of health led them to another idol found in the paddy fields, worshipped by Vasudevar the father of Lord Krishna. This was installed eventually and the newly sculpted one found its place in a shrine in the outer prahaara as Chorethevar.

After having a very fulfilling darshan (always reminds me of the song Kaana aayiram kan vendum…I also pray for the divine form to be permanently etched in my memory)  the 8 devotees present at the temple moved aside and waited in silence respectfully. We too waited, curious about what was to come. Looks like the priest was doing the Naivedyam (offering of food to the deity). Instead of using a curtain as is the norm in Tamilnadu temples, the people simply stepped back, maintaining a respectful distance until the ritual was complete. Afterward, we worshipped again and received the aval prasadam, along with sandal paste. Then we walked to the front of the temple where there was space to park the car and took picture of the Gopuram. But we both were glad we took the scenic back entrance route to enter.

The Nelluvaya temple is famous for a special herbal medicine called Mukkudi, known as the Oushada Prasad. It is prepared by the Namboodiris upon special request and is believed to have cured numerous ailments when taken with devotion. It is made of a root called Neela Koduveli, Dried Ginger, Kurumilagau, Thippili and Jeera.

Ayurveda doctors perform special poojas at this temple and devotees visit before they begin treatment to seek the Lord’s blessings.

There was also a Ganesha shrine, and as we moved to the outer praharam (corridor), we worshipped Lord Ayyappan. Interestingly, while Guruvayoor Krishna faces east, Dhanvantri at Nelluvaya faces west. It is said that Nandagopa, Krishna’s foster father, worshipped at Guruvayoor, while Vasudeva, his real father, prayed at Nelluvaya.

Happy Dhanteras. Wishing you the wealth of love and the wealth of health.

The Back Entrance

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