Ashwini Kumars are twin Vedic deities who are considered to be physicians or healers of Devas or Demi gods and they are also extremely handsome. There are numerous references about them in Vedas. In the Bhagavad Gita, Arujuna sees them on the Virat Purusha, shown to him by Krishna . In Mahabharata, the Pandava brothers Nakula and Sahadeva are the sons of Ashwini Kumars born to Madri.
Ashwini Kumars are the sons of Lord Surya and Sangya. Asvini is the "she-horse", and Kumars means "young boys". This is because they were given birth when Lord Surya took the form of a horse and Sangya took the form of a mare. On advice from their father, the Ashwini Kumars worshiped Lord Brahma and performed intense austerities and Tapasya. Pleased with them, Lord Brahma granted the boon that they will be extremely handsome and will have knowledge of Ayurveda.
There is an incident mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam which indicates that Ashwini Kumars are responsible for the sense of smell in living creatures.
There are numerous stories associated with Ashwini Kumars, which is often the struggle of the two brothers to be accepted along with the Devas and in which they succeed through patience, intelligence and dedication.
Ashwini Kumars are worshipped on the Dwitiya or the second day in a lunar fortnight.
Ashwini Kumars are usually depicted as two handsome males – always together. In very rare instances they are shown with horse heads.