Hyderabad: It is six-year-old Vraj’s first time attending the famous fish prasadam at Exhibition Grounds in Nampally, Hyderabad.
A live murrel fish containing a yellow herbal paste was carefully slipped into the little boy’s throat, an experience he had not anticipated, but one he handled well. “I was hesitant at first, but I feel better now,” he told Siasat.com.
The two-day fish prasadam is held every year on Mrigasira Karthi, the first day of the monsoons according to the Hindu calendar, administered by Hyderabad’s Bathini family since 1845. Centuries-old traditional medicine, it provides relief from asthma and other respiratory ailments.
Vraj is one of the thousands of devotees who turned up for the annual fish prasadam. While a large majority come here to get cured of asthma, some come to experience its divinity. Najma from Bihar said she has been attending the event for the last three years. “I don’t know how it cures asthma, but it feels good to have the prasadam.”
A man holds a token to receive the fish prasadam
While the origin of the medicine is still a mystery, many narratives weave into one same story – a cold night in 1845 when a sage from the Himalayas sought shelter at the home of Veeranna Goud, the person who started it all.
Known for his helping nature, Veeranna immediately provided hot food, warm water, dry clothes and a cosy place to sleep for the sage. The following day, as the sage was leaving, he whispered the secret herbal medicinal recipe into Veeranna’s ear.
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It has since been passed down through generations of the Bathini family. This year, the two-day event concluded on Tuesday, June 9, drawing thousands of people from across the country in hopes to breathe a little better.
“This year, we saw so many people. I am assuming around lakhs,” claimed Bathini Shivashankar Goud, a member of the Bathini family.
“This is not like any other prasadams. Once administered, you should not drink any liquid for 30 minutes,” Anirudh Bathini told Siasat.com.
People are prescribed a particular diet and should take the fish prasadam for three consecutive years. For vegetarians, instead of fish, the herbal medicine is wrapped in jaggery.
“Along with the prasadam, people are prescribed six tablets which need to be consumed over a period of 45 days on an empty stomach – one in the morning and one in the evening,” said Anirudh.
People rest inside makeshift tents at the Exhibition Grounds
The event was jointly organised by the Bathini family and the Telangana government.
For some, it is a cure for their asthma; some come to pray, some come out of curiosity. There is one thing that stands tall – Fish Prasadam is not limited to a certain community. It is for all – believers and non-believers. The annual ritual binds people from all sections of society in a single thread.
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