Dhanawantari Jayanti, Wellness Day marked across the country – The Himalayan Times – Nepal’s No.1 English Daily Newspaper

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 19

Dhanawantari Jayanti and Arogyata Diwas (Wellness Day) are being observed across the country today with various programmes promoting Ayurveda and holistic health.

The festival, celebrated annually on Kartik Krishna Trayodashi – the 13th day of the waning moon in the month of Kartik – coincides with the Tihar festival period. It marks the birth anniversary of Lord Dhanawantari, regarded as the god of Ayurveda and the pioneer of the ancient Vedic system of herbal medicine.

Ayurveda practitioners commemorate the day by paying homage to Lord Dhanawantari and considering it auspicious for beginning new ventures in Ayurvedic practice.

The official observance of Dhanawantari Jayanti in Nepal began with the establishment of the Ayurveda Campus in Nardevi in 1993 BS. Since 1999, it has also been celebrated as Arogyata Diwas or Wellness Day to highlight the importance of preventive health and traditional medicine.

Various events are being held today at institutions including the Singha Durbar Vaidyakhana Development Committee, Ayurveda Hospital Naradevi, Ayurveda Campus Kirtipur, and Herbal Production and Processing Company Limited in Koteshwor, as well as Ayurvedic facilities under Nepal Sanskrit University in Dang and private hospitals nationwide.