| Dhanatrayodashi | |
|---|---|
 Dhanvantari, Hindu god of health | |
| Official name | धनतेरस |
| Also called | Dhanatrayodashi |
| Observed by | Hindus |
| Type | a constituent part of Diwali |
| Significance | celebration of health |
| Date | Ashvin 28 (amanta tradition) Kartika 13 (purnimanta tradition) |
| 2025 date | 18 October |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Diwali |
| Explanatory note on Hindu festival dates | |
|---|---|
TheHindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements:māsa (lunar month),pakṣa (lunar fortnight) andtithi (lunar day). Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz.amānta /pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar. | |
Dhanteras (Hindi:धनतेरस), also known asDhanatrayodashi (Sanskrit:धनत्रयोदशी), is the first day that marks the festival ofDiwali orTihar in most of India andNepal.
It is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day (Trayodashi) ofKrishna Paksha (dark-fortnight) in theHindu calendar month ofAshwin (according to theamānta tradition) orKartika (according to theBikram Sambat tradition).Dhanvantari, who is also worshipped on the occasion of Dhanteras, is considered the god ofAyurveda, who imparted the wisdom of Ayurveda for the betterment of mankind and to help rid it of the suffering of disease.[1] The Indian Ministry ofAyurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy announced its decision to observe Dhanteras as the "National Ayurveda Day", which was first observed on 28 October 2016.[2]
Dhanteras is the worship of Dhanvantari. Dhanvantari, according to Hindu traditions, emerged during theSamudra Manthana, holding a pot full ofamrita (a nectar bestowing immortality) in one hand and the sacred text about Ayurveda in the other hand. He is considered to be the physician of thedevas.[3] Dhanvantari is also considered to be anavatar ofVishnu.[4]
The festival is celebrated asLakshmi Puja, which is performed in the evenings whendiyas (lamps of clay) are lit.Bhajans or devotional songs are sung in praise of goddessLakshmi, and traditional sweets are offered to the goddess. A peculiar custom inMaharashtra exists where people lightly pound dried coriander seeds withjaggery and offer the mixture asnaivedya.
On Dhanteras, homes that have not yet been cleaned in preparation for Diwali are thoroughly cleansed and whitewashed. Dhanvantari, the god of health and Ayurveda, is worshiped in the evening. The main entrance is decorated with colorful lanterns and holiday lights, and traditionalmotifs ofrangoli designs are made to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the house to indicate her long-awaited arrival. On the night of Dhanteras, thediyas (lamps) are ritually kept burning all through the night in honour of Lakshmi and Dhanvantari.[5]
Hindus consider this an extremely auspicious day for making new purchases, especially of gold or silver articles and new utensils. It is believed that newdhana (wealth) or some item made ofprecious metal is a sign of good luck. In modern times, Dhanteras has come to be known as the most auspicious occasion for buying gold, silver, and other metals, especially kitchenware. The day also sees heavy purchases of appliances and automobiles.[citation needed]
On this night, the lights are set out in the sky lamps and as offerings at the base of atulasi plant and in the form ofdiyas, which are placed in front of the doorways of homes. This light is an offering toYama, the god of death, to avert untimely death during the time of the Diwali festival. This day is a celebration aimed at increasing wealth and prosperity. Dhanteras engages themes of cleansing, renewal, and the securing of auspiciousness as embodied by Lakshmi.[6]
In the villages, cattle are adorned and worshiped by farmers as their main source of income.[citation needed]
In South India (especiallyTamil Nadu),Brahmin women makemarundu (which translates as 'medicine') on Dhanatrayodashi, the eve ofNaraka Chaturdashi. Themarundu is offered during the prayer and eaten early on Naraka Chaturdashi before sunrise. Many families hand over the recipes of the medicine to their daughters and daughters-in-law. The marundu is consumed to eliminate the imbalance oftridoshas in the body.
Usually, Gujarati families will enjoy a meal ofdaal baath andmalpua to ring in the new year.[7]
According to a popular legend, when thedevas andasuras performed theSamudra Manthana (churning of the ocean) foramrita (the divine nectar of immortality),Dhanvantari (the physician of the Gods and an incarnation ofVishnu) emerged carrying a jar of the elixir on the day 13th of Dhanteras.
The legend is described in detail in the Vishnu Purana, specifically in shlokas 31-108 of the 9th Adhyaya in the first Ama.
The festival of Dhanteras is celebrated on the 13th day (Trayodashi) of the Krishna Paksha (waning moon) in the Kartika month, marking the day when these treasures appeared. This celebration honors the divine gifts and the restoration of cosmic balance and prosperity.[6]
A legend ascribes the occasion to the story of the 16-year-old son of King Hima. His horoscope predicted his death by a snakebite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular day, his newlywed wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid out all her ornaments and many gold and silver coins in a heap at the entrance of the bedchamber and lit many lamps. Then she narrated stories and sang songs to keep her husband from falling asleep; the next day, whenYama, the god of death, arrived at the prince's doorstep in the guise of a serpent, his eyes were dazzled and blinded by the brilliance of the lamps and the jewelry. Yama could not enter the prince's chamber, and so he climbed on top of the heap of gold coins and sat there the entire night listening to the stories and songs. In the morning, he silently went away. Thus, the young prince was saved from the clutches of death by the cleverness of his new bride, and the day came to be celebrated as Dhanteras.[8]
This practice came to be known asyamadipadana as the women of the house light earthen lamps (dipas), kept burning throughout the night glorifying Yama. Thirteendiyas made of wheat flour are lit and placed facing the southern direction.[9]
InJainism, this day is celebrated asDhanyateras instead ofDhanteras, which means the "auspicious day of thirteenth". It is said that on this dayMahavira was in the state of leaving everything in this world and meditating beforeMoksha, which made this day auspicious ordhanya.[10]
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