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.”