Thousands flock to Nampally for 170-yr-old fish prasadam tradition
Hyderabad: As part of a 170-year-old tradition, tens of thousands of devotees assembled at the Nampally Exhibition Grounds on Sunday to receive the famous fish prasadam on the occasion of Mrigasira Karte.
This annual ritual is said to offer relief from respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis.
The event, which began at 11 am, was inaugurated by transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar. 'For 170 years, the Bathini family has been providing fish prasadam to lakhs. What began in Doodh Bowli has now evolved into a massive event,' he said.
The state's fisheries department reported over 50,000 tokens sold by 9 pm. 'We initially supplied 75,000 live murrel fish and are ready with another 75,000 if required,' said S Murali Krishna, joint director (planning).
A total of 370 staff were deployed in three shifts, managing 16 token counters and 32 prasadam distribution counters.
Organisers are expecting 4 to 5 lakh people this year—an estimated 10–15% increase over last year's turnout of 3.5 lakh. People from across India, including parents with young children, stood in long queues for hours to receive the herbal remedy.
The prasadam, offered free of cost by the Bathini Goud family, consists of a secret herbal paste filled into the mouth of a live fingerling murrel, which is then swallowed by the recipient. The offering comes in three forms: machli (fish with full yellow paste), kaarti (milder mix), and bellam (jaggery-based).
Bathini Amarnath Goud, great-grandson of the original practitioner Bathini Veeranna Goud, told TOI, 'A sage gave the herbal formula to my ancestor on the condition that it must never be sold. We have upheld that vow ever since.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
23 minutes ago
- Hans India
Thousands throng Bathini's famed ‘Fish Prasadam' at Nampally
Hyderabad: Thousands of Asthma patients and persons with breathing issues thronged to the Exhibition Grounds on Sunday to take the famed 'Fish Prasadam' being provided by the Bathini family on the occasion of Mrigashira Karte. Close to 80,000 people consumed the prasadam by midnight and the number is expected to cross over a lakh by Monday afternoon. A septuagenarian died of cardiac arrest while waiting for his turn in the queue lines during the distribution of Prasadam. As part of the century-old tradition, the Bathini Goud's family performed pooja in the wee hours and started the distribution at 9.30 am. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar along with PCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, Fisheries Corporation Chairman M Sai Kumar and others inaugurated the distribution of Fish Prasadam. The herbal medicine in the form of a paste along with a Murrel fish is inserted into the patient's mouth. If taken for four consecutive years, the medicine cures asthma, believe many patients. This has been challenged by the scientists, rationalists and other experts. Though the number has come down during the last few years, the patients' tryst with the Prasadam is not dying down as there were several who have come for three to four times consecutively. The Prasadam was not distributed during the COVID pandemic period. The administration had made elaborate arrangements for seamless experience for the asthma patients. The premises were barricaded with 42 queue lines with separate enclosures to manage the crowd. There was heavy police bandobust at the Exhibition Grounds maintaining the queue lines. People not only from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, but several aged persons came from states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other places also arrived, hoping to getting cured from the long pending ailment. Some of them had reached late night on Saturday. While the government provided fish, drinking water, lighting, special buses and other infrastructure, the philanthropist organisations also provided helping hands by organising food, tea and other stalls. The Badrivishal Pannalal Pitti Trust, which has been associated with the Bhathini family, Agarwal Samaj, Kanyakubz Samaj organised a mega food camp for the needy. Similarly, the Jaiswal Samaj and Jadhav Seva Mahila mandal had offered evening snacks to the visitors. Speaking during the occasion, Ponnam Prabhakar said that the Bathini family has been doing a great service to mankind. He said that the family which has been serving the patients should be provided Padmashri by the Centre. He said that the Congress government in the State was also supporting this programme by involving eleven departments. He lauded the Badrivishal Pannalal Pitti Trust for their services, stating that the organisation started their work a week before and provided all the necessary support to the visitors. Recalling his association with the Bathini family since 1995, PCC Chief Mahesh Goud said he had suffered with asthma and recovered after taking the Fish Prasadam. He said that several Pharma companies tried to lure and also threatened them but the family did not buckle under pressure and continued their services. He said that the state government should also recognise their services.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
U-Win vaccine portal a game changer for pregnant women, kids in Mysuru district
Mysuru: The launch of the U-Win online vaccine management portal by state health department has significantly improved access to vaccination and medicines for pregnant women and newborns in Mysuru district. Since its introduction in April 2024, over 16,000 pregnant women and 1.3 lakh children have benefited. The platform ensures a permanent digital record of vaccines and medicines administered to pregnant women, including children, streamlining immunisation healthcare services. It tracks each pregnant woman, newborn, child, and adolescent in real time, facilitating vaccination planning, beneficiary registration, and digital updates on vaccination status at the last mile of service delivery. All the 25 shots of vaccination from newborn to adolescent stage of the children, and two shots of vaccine administered for pregnant women are registered digitally under this platform. This platform is also designed to link with Ayushman Bharath Digital Mission. U-Win also integrates with other Healthcare Professional Registry (HPR), Healthcare Facility Registry (HFR), and ABHA systems, ensuring interoperability with existing healthcare management systems of govt. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 오스템 임플란트 받아가세요 임플란터 더 알아보기 Undo All pregnant women can self-register on the U-Win vaccination portal. If registered on CoWIN, they need to use the same mobile number to access U-Win. Registration can also be done through walk-in/on-site mode at the nearest primary health centre. Among the 16,004 pregnant women and 1.3 lakh children who benefited under the portal after its launch in the district, district reproductive and children health officer Dr Mohammed Siraj said that children up to the age of six years and all pregnant mothers are registered on U-Win using govt ID like Aadhar and their mobile phone numbers. Upon registration, records of all 25 shots given to children and the two given to pregnant mothers are uploaded to this portal. Digital vaccine certificates There is also a provision for mothers to access digital vaccine certificates, which can be downloaded by parents using their registered mobile numbers. This allows one to get vaccinated anywhere in the country through this digital solution, he said. Speaking to TOI, district health officer Dr PC Kumaraswamy said that the launch of these digital solutions not only made the vaccination administration drive for both children and pregnant women to save their precious lives, but also made it easy for health professionals to achieve a cent percent target for the universal immunisation drive. |
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Thousands flock to Nampally for 170-yr-old fish prasadam tradition
Hyderabad: As part of a 170-year-old tradition, tens of thousands of devotees assembled at the Nampally Exhibition Grounds on Sunday to receive the famous fish prasadam on the occasion of Mrigasira Karte. This annual ritual is said to offer relief from respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis. The event, which began at 11 am, was inaugurated by transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar. 'For 170 years, the Bathini family has been providing fish prasadam to lakhs. What began in Doodh Bowli has now evolved into a massive event,' he said. The state's fisheries department reported over 50,000 tokens sold by 9 pm. 'We initially supplied 75,000 live murrel fish and are ready with another 75,000 if required,' said S Murali Krishna, joint director (planning). A total of 370 staff were deployed in three shifts, managing 16 token counters and 32 prasadam distribution counters. Organisers are expecting 4 to 5 lakh people this year—an estimated 10–15% increase over last year's turnout of 3.5 lakh. People from across India, including parents with young children, stood in long queues for hours to receive the herbal remedy. The prasadam, offered free of cost by the Bathini Goud family, consists of a secret herbal paste filled into the mouth of a live fingerling murrel, which is then swallowed by the recipient. The offering comes in three forms: machli (fish with full yellow paste), kaarti (milder mix), and bellam (jaggery-based). Bathini Amarnath Goud, great-grandson of the original practitioner Bathini Veeranna Goud, told TOI, 'A sage gave the herbal formula to my ancestor on the condition that it must never be sold. We have upheld that vow ever since.'
