The Maruthorvattom Sri Dhanwanthari Temple is located on the south-western part of Thanneermukkom North Village of Cherthala in Alappuzha district. Maruthorvattom is a calm lush-green agricultural village on the eastern side of Cherthala-Alappuzha segment of NH-47. The temple is dedicated to Lord Dhanwanthari, who is regarded as the God of Ayurveda. Temples with Dhanwanthari Idol installation are rare enough, but temples with Lord Dhanwanthari as the presiding deity, are rarer still. Maruthorvattom Sri Dhanwanthari Temple is the first and of foremost importance among such temples of South Kerala.
Dhanwanthari temple has a copper-roofed round srikovil (sanctum) encompassing a square Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum) in which the principal deity is installed. There is a Namaskara mandapam in front of Srikovil, where idol of Garuda, is installed facing Lord Dhanwanthari and it is also copper-roofed. The temple faces westwards and has a tile-roofed outer Nalambalam surrounding a spacious inner lawn which is granite tiled. There is an Utsava Bali Mandapam on the right side of the Srikovil. Idols of Lord Ganapati, Lord Sastha, and Goddess Bhagawathi are installed in Nalambalam on the right side of the srikovil and Lord Siva is seen on the left side. The inner lawn contains the temple-well, the water from which is used only for preparing Nivedyas. This water remains pure through all seasons and is believed to have medicinal qualities.
Outside of the Nalambalam, Nagaraja and other serpant gods are installed. On the left side of the Naalambalam, there is oottupura and kitchen. The flag mast is made of Bronze.
Lord Dhanwanthari is regarded as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Dhanwanthari surfaced from Paalazhi (the sea of milk) carrying a bowl of Amrutha (the elixir of life and rejuvenation) while Gods and demons were churning the Paalazhi, in search of a remedy for the senility befell on gods as a result of a curse by the sage Durvasavu.
In meditation, Sri Dhanwanthari is visualized as a four-handed, dark-complexioned God carrying Sankha (the holy bugle of Lord Vishnu), Chakra (the revolving blade), the bowl of Amrutha (the potion of eternal life and rejuvenation), and Jalooka(the leach used by Ayurvedic practitioners to suck away the vitiated blood from the body). Ayurvedic doctors (vaidyas) used to worship Lord Dhanwanthari in their pooja rooms. People suffering from chronic illnesses regard the Dhanwanthari temple as their last resort, and make prayers and offerings at this temple for permanent relief from their sufferings.
The name of the place 'Maruthorvattom' is said to have been derived from 'Marunnu Oru Vattam' which in malayalam means a single dose of medicine, given by the famous Ayurvedic practitioner, Vellodu Moosu, who lived here some 600 years ago, was enough to give relief even from chronic ailments. The idol of Lord Dhanwanthari installed in the temple was the one worshiped in the pooja room of the Brahmin. It was donated to him by a Kshathriya devotee from Vayalar, a place some 8 km away from Maruthorvattom which is famous for the great lyricist Vayalar Rama Varma and Punnapra-Vayalar revolts. It is said that he got a revelation in his dream that he would get permanent relied from his chronic peptic ailment, if he recovered the idol lay hidden in a temple pond by the name 'Kelan Kulam' in Cherthala south, and donated it to a deserving brahmin.
Vellodu Moosu was a famous ayurvedic practitioner and belonged to the group of great eight ayurvedic doctors known as Ashta Vaidyas. He had his roots at Wadakkancherry in Thrissur district. Cheerattamon Moosu, another ayurvedic practitioner and also a member of Ashta Vaidyas, who migrated to Maruthorvattom from Angadippuram (in Malapuram where Thirumandhamkunnu temple is located) during Tippu Sultan's invasion, was residing near Vellodu Moosu's illam. Cheerattumon Moosu, who happened to see the idol was very much impressed by its divine vibrance and suggested that a temple should be constructed for the idol, for which he offered financial assistance too.
Thus the Dhanwanthari temple at Maruthorvattom was constructed jointly by the two Ashta Vaidya families. Later, Cheerattamon Moosu shifted to a place called Olessa in Kottayam district. Vellodu Moosu transferred the ownership of a large share of his landed property to Cheerattamon Moosu by way of compensation for the financial assistance given by the latter. In course of time, Vellodu Moosu also shifted to join his relatives at Wadakkancherry entrusting the Nair Karayogam of Maruthorvattom with the temple administration.
An 8 day festival starting with flag hoisting and ending with Arattu on Thiruvonam day is held annually in the malayalam month of Medam (April-May). Poojas on the first seven days of the festival are sponsored by seven families of Maruthorvattom while those on the last day are sponsored by Maruthorvattom Dhanwanthari Vilasam NSS Karayogam. Utsava Bali, Pallivetta, Vilakku, Arattu etc. are the important items of festival days. Kathakali is of prominent priority amongt programs arranged for festival nights. Other programs worth mentioning are temple arts such as Ottam Thullal, Pathakam, Koothu, Koodiyaattam, and other programs, musical concerts and classical forms of dance are also being performed.
