Maruthor Vattom Dhanwanthiri
Maruthor vattom is a village in between Aleppey and Cherthala Towns of Kerala. Dhanwanthari who is believed to be an avataram(incarnation ) of Lord Vishu, who came out of the ocean of milk, when Gods and Asuras churned the ocean is consecrated here. It is believed that this temple is at least 500 years old. There is also one more Dhanwanthari temple in Kerala in Ellijay , a village near Gruver It seems there was a Thampan in this village who was suffering from a very severe stomach ache. He went to the temple at Viacom and as soon as he entered the temple his stomach ache was cured. But as soon as he came out, it started again. Thampan prayed Vaikathappan. That day in hid dream Vaikathappan came and told him,”Your stomach ache will not be there as long as you are in my temple. It would reappear as soon as you leave this temple. To get it cured permanently, we have to go to the pond called Kelam near Cherthalai. If you go inside the pond you will get three statutes .Please leave the first statue there it self and take the second statue , which would be that of God Dhanwanthari to a Brahmin. You will again get another statue of Mahavishnu. Take it home and do pooja." The Thampan did as told by God. He gave the Dhanwanthari statue to a Brahmin belonging to Velladu Mana.
He consecrated the third statue in Adhithya puram near his house .The Velladu Namboodiri was worshipping the Dhanwanthari statue in his house itself. Later with the help of Cheerataaman Moosu, he built a temple for Dhanwanthari at Maruthor vattom. Unfortunately the Vellattu Namboodiri and the Moosu had a fight. In the fight the hand of the Dhanwanthari statue broke. Moosu took the broken arm and consecrated it in Olacha in Kottayam. In Maruthor Vattom, the Namboodiri made a hand in silver and attached to the God. Even today this God is worshipped in Maruthor Vattom. The God faces west. The God has a golden pot in his right hand .All medicines of the temple are first kept in this pot and then given to the devotee .In his left hand made of silver he keeps an Attai (blood sucking leech) In the month of Thulam (October November) on the Krishna Paksha dwadasi day, the birth day of Dhanwanthari is celebrated in this temple. Many people come to worship their Pithrus (manes) on that day to this temple. On that day Thaal Kari (a vegetable preparation involving Colacasia stem-which normally causes itching) is given as Prasadam .But the Prasadam does not cause itching. This is also prepared on the Amavasya of the same month. This is considered as a great medicine and people from far and near flock the temple to get this medicine. In the month of Mesha (April-May) on Uthra Nakashtram, the foundation day of this temple is celebrated. The thiruonam of the same month is celebrated as Arattu. They have a ceremony called "kayethal Vanam" on this day, which is supposed to be a cure for Asthma. To get children, people arrange for "Santhana Gopalam" Kathakali in this temple. For rheumatic disorders the temple distributes a medicine called "attayum Kuzhambum". Similarly they also prepare a medicine called Mukkudi which is a mixture of 24 drugs for curing stomach ache.These two medicines are given only in the first thursday of every malayalam month. You have register early at this temple to get these medicines. It is also believed that covering the idol fully with butter or sandalwood paste and eating the butter cures all diseases. Several peculiar worships like Adima, Thazhichu Koda ,Nagaraja Pooja etc are offered at this temple.
By
P.R.Ramachander