Palluruthy Sree Dhanwanthari Temple

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Overview

Sree Dhanwanthari Temple at Palluruthy, Kochi, is one of the oldest temples in Kerala dedicated to Lord Dhanwanthari, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as ‘Ayurveda Moorthi’, also known as the Physician of Gods.

About The Temple

The temple has a Rajagopuram with the presiding deity Lord Dhanwanthari and the deities of Lord Vigneswara, Mahalakshmi, Anjaneya and Garuda, along with Dwarapalakaas. The twelve pillars of Nada Pandhal adjacent to the Rajagopuram have Dashavatharams along with deities of Lord Vittal and Rukmini. The garbha-griha is square in shape showing the Nagara style of Hindu temple architecture.

About The Deity

The idol of the Lord Dhanwanthari in this temple is a foot and seven and a half inches in height. It is of Krishna Sila. The Lord wears a Veshti which has graceful folds and the central folds fall neatly between the legs which wears anklets and kankana. In the right upper hand the Lord Dhanwanthari holds Chakra (Wheel) and in the upper left hand holds Shankha (Counch). In the lower right hand a Leach is firmly held in between the index finger and the thumb and the other fingers stand upright showing the Abhaya pose. In the left lower hand the Lord holds a pot with nectar that is ‘Amrita’. The idol stands on an inverted Lotus pedestal. It wears Bhuja Kireetas (on shoulders) and a well ornamented Kireeta Makuta (the crown) which is supremely graceful.

Legend and Stories

Legend has it that the Lord comes to the rescue of people suffering from physical illness when they call upon Him. According to Puranic tradition, Dhanwanthari came out while churning the ocean by Gods and Asuras together and is one of the Fourteen Ratnas said to have been produced with a cup of nectar in His hand.

Gowda Saraswath Brahmins residing in Kerala are descendants of those Gowda Saraswaths who came over Kerala from Sasasti Pradesh of Goa when the Portuguese established their inquisition in Goa in 1560 AD. One of the families that came along with migrants for their settlement in Kerala belonged to Bhembre family of Goa. They are called by family surname ‘Prabhus’. They settled down in nearby village of Mattancherry called Palluruthy and named the place of their settlement as ‘Bhembrekad’ and installed the deity Betal at Palluruthy brought by them from Goa. Bhembre Prabhus were proficient in Ayurveda. They used to give Ayurvedic medicine to locals, suffering with illness and considered treating patients suffering physically, as service to God. In the line of descendants of Ayurvedic Physicians there was born one Babha Sharma Prabhu. He was a great devotee of Lord Dhanwanthari, the Physician of the Gods.

In the line of descendants of Babha Sharma Prabhu one Sanna Prabhu was born who earned name as one of the foremost physicians in Ayurveda of his times. Raja of Cochin wanted Prabhu to cure a disease which he was suffering. Prabhu prayed the Lord to guide him to find out medicine for Raja’s illness. The Lord in the dream directed Prabhu that the oil which he used to prepare ‘Gari’ a type of Vada usually prepared by putting it in the heated oil, and offered as Nivedyam to the Lord, should be given to the Raja for application over his body and that by applying the oil he would get complete cure. As directed by the Lord the oil was given to the Raja and the Raja after applying the oil over his body got complete cure. There are many instances to quote from the general public irrespective of caste and religion, getting disease cured by the offerings made by sick persons to the Lord and accepting Prasadam given by the priest after the pooja. There was one Raghavan Vaidyan residing nearby the temple who had deep faith in God, as per whom, after receiving Prasadam from the temple and treating the patients having chronic disease, he was able to get complete cure for such patients.

Prasad and Offering

There are many instances where childless women make an offering called the ‘Devak Deevap’ in order to beget children. They give the newly born child as ‘Adima’ to God after performing a Thulabharam.

Accessibility

The Cochin International Airport is well connected to major cities all across India and the world. Cochin is well connected to all the major railway stations in India. Cochin has a strong network of Kerala State Run Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus services that connects it to all the major cities in Kerala and with some of the major cities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Temple Address