Sree Dhanwanthari, an incarnation of Maha Vishnu is the presiding deity of Ayurveda.  Lord Maha Vishnu is believed to have come out as Lord Dhanwanthiri with the Amrut when the Devas and Asuras churned the ocean of milk. All the physicians who practice Ayurveda consider the Lord as their guide. Devotees of Lord Dhanwanthiri are blessed with health and all happiness. There are only very few temples in Kerala for Sree Dhanwanthari. The Dhanwanthari Temple at Peringavu, near Trichur is very famous. The presiding deity is Dhanwathari and the idol is almost 5 feet tall and facing east. Sub-deities are Ganapathi, Ayyappan, Bhadrakali, Brahmarakshas, Nagaprathishta etc. The more important offerings are vennacharthu, ayurarogya pushpanjali, dhanwathari pooja, udayasthamana pooja, niramala chuttuvilakku, kalababhishekam etc. Hundreds of devotees visit the temple seeking the blessings of the Lord for health and long life. Many doctors also come to worship the Lord of the Doctors. People from abroad perform various offerings here for cure of diseases as well as health and long life. Many come from far off places to perform Bhajanam(worshipping in the temple by being present for all the pujas for a fixed number of days) in the temple. It is believed that the edible offerings used in the worship of the Lord here have also got medicinal properties. The oil that is collected after anointing the idol of Sree Dhanwanthari is also believed to have great medicinal property. Many devotees vouchsafe that diseases have been cured after using this oil. The temple is believed to be more than 900 years old. The area known in those days as Perukav was under the rule of the Maharaja of Cochin. The land was gifted to Ashtavaidyan Thaikkattu Mooss by the Maharaja as a token of his appreciation for saving the life of one of the royal elephants that possessed all good traits. Pazhanelli Achan Mooss, one of the most famous among the physicians of Thaikkaattu Mana, rebuilt the temple and re-consecrated the idol there. The Ashtavaidyas of Thaikkattu Mana are believed to have been blessed by the the Dhanwanthari Moorthy consecrated here. It was the Mooss who conducted the daily pujas here. About a hundred years ago, Kochunni Thampuran, of the Cochin Royal family and a world-renowned physician for anti-venom treatment, took up residence at Peringavu in order to worship Sree Dhanwanthari. He undertook the renovation of the temple and was responsible for building the structures surrounding the sanctum and the Gopuram. The extra ordinary ability that Thampuran possessed in anti-venom treatment came from the blessings of Sree Dhanwanthari here. People believe that Thampuran used even the ash from the temple for his anti-venom treatment. He also started celebrating the Kolothumpadam Pooram with 21 caprisoned elephants. Many temples from Viyyur, Aevanoor, Theankulangara, Chembukavu and Panakkampilli participated in this Pooram. In 1968 Thaikkaattu Astavaidyan Narayanan Mooss handed over the temple to the devotees of the locality. Twenty-one member Managing Committee elected by the Hindu devotees of the area now manages the temple. The renovation of the temple was carried out with the full support of the devotees. The most important festival is celebrated on the day of the Swargavaathil Ekadesi. Other important festivals are on Ashtamirohini, Navarathri, consecration day on star Atham in the month of Meenam etc. A unique celebration is on the 16th of Karkidakam, which is considered to be important for taking medicines. On that day the medicine that is offered to the deity is distributed free of cost to the devotees. They believe that those who take this medicine will be blessed with good health and a long life.