Meet God's own doctor

Wed, Jul 2 12:50 AM

In the city of temples, even gods have their own doctor. Meet Sriram Sharma (32), who doesn't have a degree in modern, Ayurvedic or Unani medicine,neither runs any dispensary or hospital, but still is the most divine doctor.

His patients are the holy trinity of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balbhadra and Goddess Subhadra. For a fortnight every year, the young temple priest-cum-astrologer turns doctor to the holy trinity - a role which has been passed as heirloom by ancestors, who all have been head priests of the Jagannath and Narsingh Bhagwan Temple at Assi locality.

"Be it me, my father Sitaram Sharma or grandfather Lekhnath Sharma, the family of the head priests of the 318-year-old temple has played the role of a doctor to the holy trinity as part of a mythological tale according to which the holy threesome take ill due to excessive bathing by devotees a fortnight prior to their passage to Rathyatra festival," Sharma said. For the next 15 days, the sacred threesome, every evening are treated by the temple priest-turned-makeshift doctor, who administers to the gods a special kadha (syrup) prepared from 'Kaali Mirch, Laung, Ilayachi, Jaifal, Gulab Jal, Ganga Jal, Chandan, Tulsi' and pure Sugar.

During the curative fortnight, the temple remains closed for worshippers, but the devotees throng the temple premises to collect the treasured kadha consumed by the holy trinity, out of the belief that its consumption would guard them from all diseases in the year.

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