In year 2016, Ministry of AYUSH felt the need to conceptualize a day which could be celebrated as National Ayurevda Day. It was decided by Ministry then to make Dhanavantari Jayanti as National Ayurveda Day.  Hence for the very first time, National Ayurveda Day came into being and was celebrated on Dhanwantari Jayanti on 26th Oct 2016.

Dhanvantari Jayanti, the birth date of Lord Dhanvantari, occurs two days before Badi Diwali on Dhanteras. Few people know that Dhanteras was used to be celebrated originally as Dhanvantari Jayanti in ancient times. Dhanvantari Jayanti is celebrated not simply as a day for outer prosperity but also for inner rejuvenation as well. Dhanvantari is the form of Lord Vishnu, the protective aspect of divinity, who arose from the samudra manthana, the original churning of the cosmic ocean, as a gift of healing for all. Lord Dhanvantari holds the nectar pot of immortality that grants optimal health, extending to rejuvenation of body and mind. He is the ideal doctor and manifestation of compassion, representing the wisdom of Ayurveda in practical application. His image can be found at ayurvedic schools and clinics, where mantras to him are chanted daily.

Health and well-being remains one of the greatest challenges in this computer age in which we are losing our moorings in nature to an invasive technology and artificial way of life. It is time to acknowledge Ayurveda as one of the most important traditions of natural healing in the world. It is one of the greatest gifts of India’s profound spiritual and yogic culture. 

May Lord Dhanvantari, as the universal healer, bring well-being and lasting happiness to all !