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{{short description|God of Ayurvedic medicine and physician of the gods}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2012}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| image = Godofayurveda.jpg
| caption = Dhanvantari
| name = Dhanwantari
| Devanagari = धन्वन्तरि
| affiliation = [[Vishnu]], [[Vishnu|Adi Narayana]], [[Deva (Hinduism)|Deva]]
| god_of = God of [[Ayurveda]]; <br> God of Healing and Medicine; <br> Physician of the Gods and [[Physician|Doctors]]
| abode = Samudra
| mantra = नमामि...
| weapon = [[Shankha]], [[Chakra]]
| mount = [[Padma (attribute)|Lotus]]
| symbols = [[Amrita]], [[Leech]]
| festivals = [[Dhanteras]]
| father = Dirghatamas<ref> Bhagavata Purana Skandha IX Chapter 17</ref>
| children = Ketuman
}}
{{Hinduism}}
{{Vaishnavism}}

'''Dhanvantari''' is the [[Hindu]] god of medicine and an avatar of Lord [[Vishnu]]. He has been the king of [[Varanasi]]. He is mentioned in the ''[[Puranas]]'' as the god of [[Ayurveda]]. He, during the [[Samudra manthan|Samudramanthan]] arose from the [[Ocean of Milk]] with the nectar of immortality. It is common practice in Hinduism for worshipers to pray to Dhanvantari seeking his blessings for sound health for themselves and/or others, especially on [[Dhanteras]] or Dhanwantari Trayodashi "National Ayurveda Day".<ref name="indiatimes.com">{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Dhanteras-to-be-observed-as-National-Ayurveda-Day/articleshow/54599037.cms|title=Dhanteras to be observed as National Ayurveda Day - Times of India}}</ref>

== Textual sources ==
''Ramayana Balakaand''<ref>{{cite book|title=Valmiki Ramayana: Balakanda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glKDtKF8XOIC|page=556|author=Harekrishna Satapathy|publisher=Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha|year=2010}}</ref> and ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' state that Dhanvantari emerged from the [[Ocean of Milk]] and appeared with the pot of [[amrita]] (elixir for immortality) during the story of the ''[[Samudra manthan|Samudra (or) Sagara Mathana]]'' whilst the ocean was being churned by the [[Deva (Hinduism)|Deva]]s and [[Asura]]s, using the [[Mount Mandara|Mandara]] mountain and the serpent [[Vasuki]]. The pot of Amrita was snatched by the Asuras, and after this event another avatar, [[Mohini]], appears and takes the nectar back from the Asuras. It is also believed that Dhanvantari promulgated the practice of Ayurveda.<ref name=M107>[[#Madhavan|Madhavan 2007]], p. 107</ref> Of special mention here is the treatise of ''Dhanvantari-Nighantu'', which completely elucidates Dhanvantari's medicinal plants.<ref>Dhanvantari-Nighantu [https://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/studies-on-medicinal-planets-and-drugs-in-dhanvantari-nighantu-two-volumes-NAD479/][http://www.saujanyabooks.com/details.aspx?id=34040][https://www.scribd.com/doc/290274952/dhanvantari-nighantu-pdf][http://www.vaidyaraj-ayurveda.com/dhanvantari.html][https://docslide.us/documents/dhanvantari-nighantupdf.html][https://www.amazon.in/Dhanvantari-Nighantu-Sanskrit-Text-English-Translation/dp/8189469126]</ref>

==Iconography==
According to the ancient [[Sanskrit]] work ''Vishnudharamottara'', Dhanvantari is a handsome individual and should usually be depicted with four hands, with one of them carrying [[Amrita]], the ambrosia. Dhanvantari is depicted as Vishnu with four hands, holding [[Shankha]], [[Chakra]], Jalauka (leech) and a pot containing Amrita. He is often shown with a leech in his hand rather than the scriptures.

Some texts describe him as holding a conch, [[Amrita]], medicinal herbs and a book of [[Ayurveda]].
In ancient texts there are some shlokas devoted to origin of Lord Dhanvantari:

ॐ शंखं चक्रं जलौकां दधदमृतघटं चारुदोर्भिश्चतुर्मिः।

सूक्ष्मस्वच्छातिहृद्यांशुक परिविलसन्मौलिमंभोजनेत्रम॥

कालाम्भोदोज्ज्वलांगं कटितटविलसच्चारूपीतांबराढ्यम।

वन्दे धन्वंतरिं तं निखिलगदवनप्रौढदावाग्निलीलम॥

सूक्ष्मस्वच्छातिहृद्यांशुक परिविलसन्मौलिमंभोजनेत्रम॥

<br />

== Birthday celebration ==
His birthday is celebrated by the practitioners of Ayurveda every year, on [[Dhanteras]], two days before [[Diwali]], the Hindu festival of lights. It is also celebrated as National Ayurveda Day in India.<ref name="indiatimes.com"/> The National Ayurveda Day celebrations started since 2016.

[[File:Statue of Dhanvantari.jpg|thumb|Statue of Dhanvantari at Tarakeshwar temple]]
[[File:Dhanwantari Bhagwan.jpg|thumb|160px|God Shri Dhanvantari at Ayurved Sankul Anand, which is a premier institute of [[Ayurveda]] situated in the Milk City of India, [[Anand, Gujarat]].]]

== Temples in India ==

Dhanvantari temple in Maharashtra:

In Konkan, There is a Dhanvantari temple at Dapoli, District Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. It belongs to Dongare family and is owned and run by Vaidya Aniruddha Dongare. Many devotees from konkan and rest of Maharashtra visit the temple and offer their prayers.

There are a few dedicated temples to Dhanvantari in South India especially in [[Kerala]] and [[Tamil Nadu]], where ayurveda is highly practised and patronised. The [[Thottuva Dhanwanthari temple]] in Kerala is a particularly famous temple, where Lord Dhanvantari's 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. The 'Ekadasi' day celebration, which falls on the same day as the 'Guruvayur Ekadasi' is of special significance.

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 ''[[theertham]]'', a herbal [[decoction]], is given to the visitors. The shrine is the oldest Dhanvantari shrine in the state.<ref>[[#Madhavan|Madhavan 2007]], p. 108</ref> Another Dhanvantari shrine is found in the second precinct of [[Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram|Varadaraja Perumal Temple]] in [[Kanchipuram]].<ref>[[#Madhavan|Madhavan 2007]], p. 110</ref>

Dhanvanthari temples in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry include:
* Nelluvai Dhanwantari Temple, Wadakkanchery, Thrissur, Kerala
* Sri Danvantri Arogya Peedam, Walajapet, Vellore District, Tamilnadu<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.danvantritemple.org|title=Sri Danvantri Temple|website=www.danvantritemple.org}}</ref>
* Thevalakkadu Sree Dhanwanthari Temple, Kulasekharamangalam Post, Vaikom, Kottayam, Kerala<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sreedhanwantharitemple.in|title=Thevalakkadu Sree Dhanwanthari Temple Kulasekharamangalam, Vaikom, Kottayam, Kerala, India|website=www.sreedhanwantharitemple.in}}</ref>
* Aanakkal Dhanwanthari Temple, Thaniyathukunnu, Thrissur<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aanakkaldhanwanthari.com/home.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-10-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022060438/http://aanakkaldhanwanthari.com/home.htm |archive-date=22 October 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
* Sree Dhanwanthari Temple, Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu<ref>http://temples.avpayurveda.com {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301222422/http://temples.avpayurveda.com/ |date=1 March 2014 }}</ref>
* Sree Dhanwanthari Temple, Maruthorvattom, Cherthala, Kerala<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhanwantharitemple.org|title=Official website of Maruthorvattom Sree Dhanwanthari Temple: Temple of Lord Dhanwanthari, the Master God of Ayurveda|website=www.dhanwantharitemple.org}}</ref>
* Sree Dhanwanthari Temple, Prayikara, Mavelikara, Alleppey, Kerala<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sreedhanwantharitemple.com/index.html|title=Sree Dhanwanthari Temple Prayikara, Mavelikara|website=sreedhanwantharitemple.com}}</ref>
* Sree Dhanwanthari Temple Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta, Kerala
* Sree Dhanwanthari Temple Kanakkoor, Alappuzha, Kerala
* Shri Dhanwantari Temple, Gopabandhu Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya Campus, Puri, Odisha
* Sri Dhanvantri Swamy Sannidhi within the Sanjeevi Vinayakar Temple, JIPMER campus
*Shri Aalkkalmanna Dhanwanthari Temple is situated at Eranthod Village, Angadippuram Panchayat, Perintalmanna Taluk of Malappuram District.
*There is also Sri Murrari Dhanvantri Moorthi Kshetram temple in kollam district (boothakulam) paravur. It belongs to a family called Thundvilla, it is owned and run by the family members itself. People offer prayer for there beloved ones and offer paalpayasam to god.
*Shri Dhanvantari Temple, Palluruthy, Kochi, Kerala is a small temple managed by Gowda Saraswath Brahmin Community.

In Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, [[Varanasi]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] state, one statue of Dhanvantari is present in the University museum. Two statues are at the headquarters of the [[Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha]] at [[New Delhi]]. There is another statue inside the Ayurveda Maha Sammelan office, Dhanawantari Bhawan at New Delhi and one statue of Dhanvantari is present at Mohyal Ashram in [[Haridwar]].{{cn|date=January 2016}}

==See also==
* [[Ashvins]]
* [[Ayurveda]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=Vishnu temples of South India, Volume two|last=Madhavan|first=Chitra|year=2008|publisher=Chitra Madhavan|isbn=978-81-908445-1-2|ref=Madhavan}}
*''Kalyan'' Hindi monthly magazine, March 2001 issue, Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, UP

== External links ==
{{commons category|Dhanvantari}}
*[http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/dhanwantari.htm Hindu God Dhanwantari: The promulgator of Ayurveda.]
*[http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/t_es/t_es_agraw_physician_frameset.htm Does Ayurveda begin with Dhanvantari, the ancient physician? By D.P. Agrawal]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930163831/http://vedabase.net/sb/9/17/4/en1 Dhanvantari in the Bhagavata Purana]

{{HinduMythology}}
{{HinduAvatars}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Hindu gods]]
[[Category:Ayurveda]]
[[Category:Forms of Vishnu]]
[[Category:Health gods]]

Dhanvantari - Revision history

Gretta18W5803957: general adjusted details per sources additionally and improved wording to improve readability

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