Hyderabad: Hyderabad witnessed the annual distribution of the famed 'fish prasadam' on Sunday, as thousands of people gathered at the Exhibition Grounds in the hope of finding relief from asthma.

The event, organised by the city’s Bathini family, has been held every year for over a century on the auspicious day of 'Mrigasira Karthi'. The ritual involves the administration of a live murrel fish stuffed with a secret herbal paste, believed by many to be a traditional remedy for asthma and respiratory ailments.

Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, state Congress president and MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud, and several other leaders formally inaugurated this year’s event.

What is 'fish prasadam’?

The 'fish prasadam' is a traditional remedy administered by the Bathini family of Hyderabad, believed by many to provide relief from asthma and other respiratory ailments.

The treatment involves swallowing a small live murrel fish, roughly 2–3 inches long, which is filled with a yellow herbal paste. According to the family, the fish helps carry the medicine down the throat and into the digestive system, where it is said to act on respiratory pathways.

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This ritual takes place annually during the Mrigasira Karthi, usually in early June, and has been practised for over 175 years.

According to the Bathini family, the herbal formula was gifted to an ancestor by a holy man and has since been passed down through generations. Despite its popularity, the medicinal claims surrounding the 'fish prasadam' have often been met with scepticism by scientists, health professionals, and rationalist groups, who question its efficacy and scientific basis.

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Nonetheless, the annual ritual continues to draw large crowds, with people travelling from across the country and even abroad to take part in the long-standing tradition, reflecting a deep-rooted belief in the remedy's healing potential.