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Monday, September 15, 2008

Ayurveda in Kerala

Emperor Asoka the Great introduced Buddhism in Sri Lanka by sending his daughter and son in the 3rd Century BC. Apart from the royal paraphernalia, the duo would have been accompanied by thousands of Buddhist Monks as well. Asoka was very much concerned about the well being of his subjects. To ensure proper medical aid, he has owned up in one of his rock inscriptions, of having created medical facilities, even in the remotest parts of his empire, bordering other kingdoms, to enhance well being and promote longevity. Dispensing of medical care had been the domain of the monks with knowledge of the traditional system of Aurveda, which then existed. Monastic system of education was considered incomplete without acquiring knowledge of medical therapies.
Ayurveda is considered a divine science being a part of the Hindu scripture "Atharvaveda". The oral traditions were led by Atreya and Dhanvantari representing two different schools of thought i.e. the school of physicians and the school of surgeons respectively. Further codifications were carried out in "Charaka Samhita" which deals with internal medication. "Susruta Samhita" on the other hand contains surgical procedures.

The Ayurveda system of medicine believes that the human body is made of Panchabhutas, the five elements, namely either (space), air, fire, water and earth. They combine with each other and manifest themselves as three basic principles, collectively known as Tridosha.
Either with Air creates Vata
Fire with Water creates Pitta
Water with Earth creates Kapha
The system attempts to address the imbalances in Tridosha to cure human ailments.

During the 8th century CE a Buddhist monk named Vag Bhatta from Kerala is said to have visited Sri Lanka for studying the Buddhist System of medicine. He is credited to have authored "Ashtanga Hridaya" and "Ashtanga Sangraha", treatises in Sanskrit, which has formed the backbone of Ayurveda in Kerala. "Ashtanga Hridaya" contains knowledge comprising the two schools of Ayurveda. "Ashtanga Sangraha" is bigger in size but more or less similar to the "Ashtanga Hridaya". Some scholars are of the opinion that the compilations could have been made by two different persons of the same name.

Soon after Buddhism got established in Sri Lanka, southern parts of Kerala came under Buddhist influence. The Ezhava community (also known as Chovars in central Kerala and Thiyyas in Malabar area) of Kerala is believed to have migrated from Sri Lanka, who became the torch bearers of Buddhism. They were physicians, astrologers,warriors, coconut farmers and so on. As a class they were held in high esteem in the society. Karappuram Kadakkarappally Kollattu Veettil Itty Achudan was a pioneer in editing the first Malayalam book on traditional medicine, published by the Dutch in 1675, titled Hortus Indicus Malabaricus. Kayikkara Govindan Vaidyar was the one who translated the famous "Ashtanga Hridaya" into Malayalam. Both the physicians belonged to the Ezhava community.

After the advent of Shankaracharya, a Hindu revival movement received great impetus. Over a period of time the Brahmins had a sway in the society with the support of the local rulers. All Buddhists were assimilated into the Hindu stream. However a large section of the ezhavas preferred to stick to their old faith. This infuriated the Brahmins and since they were wielding great power, with the connivance of the ruling elite, persecution of the non-converts gained momentum. Ezhavas were kept out of the Varna system of caste division and denounced as untouchables. Thus the community received a severe setback. They were compelled to work as toddy tappers, farmers etc. for a livelihood. This also made many of them to embrace Christianity.

Shri Narayana Guru (1855 - 1928) born into an Ezhava family was one of the greatest social reformers Kerala has ever seen. He revolted against casteism and relentlessly worked for social equality. It is he, who was responsible for the social emancipation of Ezhavas. They now constitute a major chunk of the Hindu population and considered to be one of the most prosperous communities. Buddhist influence can still be traced in their festivals. Their gods Cittan and Arattan are said to be of Buddhist origin.

Major ayurvedic hospitals, spas, pharmaceutical companies are now owned by them. Products like Kamilari, Chandrika, Medimix, to name a few, come from their factories. They also own large hotel chains, modern hospitals, multi-storied complexes and so on. Incidentally the present day Chief Minister of the State also comes from their clan.

To sum up, Buddhism and Ezhava community together have contributed immensely for the growth of the traditional wisdom in Ayurvedic medication and popularizing it amongst masses in Kerala.
Inspiration: Sampath Iyer, Kochi Abridged Hindi version

7 comments:

  1. Thank you very much for this, and other articles on this blog, which take us into a visual-verbal tour of our glorious past.

    This is a time when many young people do not know what India was, and therefore those who do know should devote time to create an awareness about these subjects.

    The Hindi of this article can be seen at http://sarathi.info/archives/1406 where I have also placed a link to this English article.

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  2. I wonder if you can recall the extensive support by the Zamorins to the development of Ayurveda..

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  3. just a question,
    why didnt the Buddhist monks remain in India and study Charak, Sushrut Samhitas?
    Were they in decline?

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  4. Nice article!

    For those in the USA looking for high quality Ayurvedic products log on to www.naturesformulary.com

    Their products are made and packaged in USA in FDA inspected facilities. I have found them to be of high quality and an happy with them

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  5. Ayurveda in Kerala is very popular becauseof different reasons. The primaryreason is the availability of natural elements like herbs, minerals, oils, etc. used by the practitioners in ayurveda. Along with thebeautiful environment, the state acts as a wonderful platform to offer the ultimate experience tothe patients. With the abundant natural sources, it is easy for the state to practice this form of treatment. Since Ayurveda is all about mind, body and soul, the focus is always to treat all three rather than concentrating on only one part.

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  6. Thank for sharing informative blog. Kerala is one of the most beauty place in India and very magnificent environment for ayurveda. Ayurveda in kerala

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