Kathmandu, Oct 19: The Dhanawantari Jayanti and Arogyata Diwas (Wellness Day) is being observed across the country today with various programmes.
The Dhanawantari Jayanti and Arogyata Diwas (Wellness Day) is celebrated every year on Kartik Krishna Trayodashi or the 13th day of the waning moon in the month of Kartik each year as per the lunar calendar which falls during the five-day Tihar Festival period.
Dhanawantari Jayanti celebration commemorates the ‘coming into being’ of Dhanawantari, the Hindu deity who is believed to have propounded the Ayurveda, the ancient Vedic health treatment system based on herbal medicine. Especially, Ayurveda medical practitioners observe the Dhanawantari Jayanti by paying homage to Dhanawantari, the god of ayurveda, and as an auspicious day to start their trade.
The Dhanawantari Jayanti began to be officially celebrated in Nepal with the establishment of the Ayurveda Campus in Nardevi, Kathmandu. It was established as Rajakiya Ayurveda Vidhyalaya in 1993 BS. The Dhanawantari Jayanti has also been celebrated as Wellness Day at the initiative of individuals in the field of Ayurveda, since 1999.
On the occasion of the Dhanawantari Jayanti, various programmes are being organised today at Singha Durbar Vaidyakhana Development Committee, the Ayurveda Hospital Naradevi, the Ayurvedic Campus Kirtipur and the Herbal Production and Processing Company Limited Koteshwor, in Kathmandu, at the Ayurvedic Campus of Nepal Sanskrit University in Dang, and at Ayurvedic hospitals opened by the private sector across the country.
