Thousands flock to Hyderabad's Nampally for fish prasadam

The Hindu

08-06-2025

The heat hung heavy in the air at noon in Nampally, where the temperature touched 33 °C , but that did little to deter the steady stream of people making their way to the Ajanta Gate of the Exhibition Grounds. Drawn by hope and tradition, thousands from across the country gathered in Hyderabad on Sunday to receive the famed 'fish prasadam,' administered annually by the Bathini Goud family on the occasion of Mrigasira Karthi.
The atmosphere resembled that of the iconic Numaish fair, with streets choked with parked vehicles, traffic police working to ease the congestion, and loudspeakers crackling with instructions to maintain the flow of the crowd. Inside the grounds, visitors queued up to purchase a ₹40 token, required to receive the prasadam. After this, they were guided along barricaded lines towards the distribution point, where the murrel fish embedded with a secret herbal paste was slipped down their throats.
The Telangana Fisheries Department had arranged over 1.5 lakh murrel fish for the ritual, anticipating a massive turnout. Many had arrived a day early, spending the night on the grounds to ensure that they could be among the first to receive the treatment, believed by devotees to offer relief from asthma and other respiratory conditions.
'I came to Hyderabad on June 7 and headed straight here from the airport. I spent the night on the ground and joined the queue at around 7 a.m. when the crowd was still manageable. I have had breathing issues, though not formally diagnosed as asthma. I read about this online and decided to come. This is my first time,' said 47-year-old Shankar Sahni from Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
The programme was inaugurated by Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, who was ceremonially administered the prasadam by Bathini Amaranath. 'For 170 years, the Bathini family has carried out this selfless service. Thousands have claimed relief from chronic respiratory problems after taking the prasadam. Their faith and the family's dedication is truly remarkable,' the Minister said.
Some arrived for their second or third dose, driven by stories of relief and recovery. 'My sister came here in 2019 with asthma and was cured after taking the prasadam. I was diagnosed just last year, and now I have come, hoping it works for me too,' said 32-year-old Shekhar Patil from Mumbai.
Ashish Singh from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, had travelled with his five-year-old daughter, who suffers from asthma. 'I want to try everything I can. If this gives her even a little bit of relief, it's worth the journey,' he said.
Voluntary organisations offered support by distributing drinking water, buttermilk, breakfast, and lunch to the people gathered at the grounds. After taking the medicine, many people could be seen lying on bedsheets on the ground, resting in makeshift arrangements while they waited for their return journeys by train, bus, or flight scheduled for later in the day or the next morning.