THRISSUR: As the nation celebrated Ayurveda Day on Friday, to remember and cherish its ancient medicinal system, it’s important to remember the people and places advancing its cause, including the country’s first ayurveda museum, which will complete a decade in existence next month.
At a time when modern medicine is occupied with checking, if not reversing, the process of ageing, its fascinating to know that ‘kaya kalpa chikitsa’ used to be practised in the state by ayurveda healers to slow down cell degeneration. Shut off from the outside world, the treatment used to be performed over nine months – the gestation period of a human baby -- with herbal medicines for internal consumption and external application. A specially designed building, ‘kuti’, with three chambers, which barred cross ventilation, was used for the purpose.
The Vaidyaratnam Group, based in Thaikkattussery, established the museum to pass on the rich heritage of ayurveda. The institution has been attracting attention with its unique presentations and abundance of knowledge. “The museum is an extension of the Vaidyaratnam group, which considers ayurveda as a service to society,” says Anil, museum curator.
Although ayurveda has been mainly marketed as panchakarma chikitsa, a visit to the museum will change the perception of the tradition. Its traditional ‘naalukettu’ architecture invites visitors to explore the history of ayurveda. “According to the ancient texts, ayurvedawas mainly depended on the flora and fauna of the earth. Healers derived medicines from plants.
The Doctrine of Signatures – which explains that each plant has its own signature like colour, shape, etc, that resemble a body part – would have developed from those days. Based on this, plants could be used to treat specific diseases. For instance, ‘changalamparanda’, which resembles the backbone, has recently been found to be useful in the treatment of bone diseases,” Anil added.
From explaining the healing therapy based on flora and fauna, the museum takes visitors on a journey of the development of ayurveda over the years. There is also an exclusive section on Sushrutha, who is regarded the father of surgery.
The museum also provides a peep into the making of ayurveda medicines and the eight main branches of treatment. It also depicts the life and works of the ayurveda practitioners of the Thaikatt Elayedath mana, including E T Neelakandan Mooss, founder of Vaidyaratnam group.
Designed by C R Agnivesh, a scholar who dedicated his life to ayurveda, construction was overseen by architect Jayan Bilathikulam. “Apart from diorama presentations of the history of ayurveda, the museum also has a large digital library. Moreover, the museum also holds special sessions with experts, for large groups of visiting students and foreigners. A detailed screening of everything to do with ayurveda is also available here, which takes two to three hours and hence is available only for groups,” said Anil. He added that the Vaidyaratnam group plans to develop the museum further with better facilities.