Aim of the study is to compare ksharasutra  with surgical lay open technique in the treatment of fistula in ano focusing mainly on operative time, post operative wound discharge , post operative pain ,duration of hospital stay, duration of wound healing and recurrence of fistula.BACKGROUND :Surgical “lay open” technique, which is most widely practiced, has the problems of extensive surgery in–and–round the anal canal, prolonged hospitalization, high rate of recurrence and anal incontinence. Moreover, the initial recovery period is a bit discomfort to patients and patient usually loses few days work activities. Alternatively, application of chemical Seton named Ksharasutrais mentioned in the ancient Indian literature and is still practiced in some centers in India.PATIENTS ANDMETHODS:patients diagnosed wih fistula in ano are randomly operated into kharasutra and lay open group and results compared. RESULTS: Conducted on 46  randomized patients. Analysis showed that Avg Operative time in ksharasutra group is 20.3 min and Avg Operative time in lay open group is around 32.6 min.Post operative wound discharge mild in both groups and observed in 4 out of 22 patients ( 18.18% ) in kharasutra group and 4 out of 24 patients ( 16.66%) in lay open group.Avg duration of hospital stay in ksharasutra group is 33.2 hrs and in lay open group is around 47.4 hrs.Post operative wound pain in kharasutra group was mild in 10 out of 22, was moderate in 11 out of 22, severe in 1 out of 22 patients. Post operative wound pain in lay open group was mild in 6 out of 24, was moderate in 16 out of 24, severe in 2 out of 24 patients.Avg duration of wound healing  inksharasutra group is 56.4 days and avg duration of wound healing  in lay open group is around 28.3 days. 2 out of 22 patients in kharasutra group presented with recurrence of fistula and 2 out of 24 patients in lay open group presented with recurrenc.CONCLUSION : Treatment of fistula in ano with ksharasutra is relatively simple , easy , and safe with lesser operative time and lesser duration of stay in hospital , less post operative pain with early resume to normal work when compared with lay open group.duration of treatment in the Ksharasutra group was significantly longer than fistulotomy group with no significant difference in recurrence rates in both groups.