History of Ayurveda in Kerala
With an antiquity of about 5000 years, Ayurveda remains nature’s best remedy for a wide range of health problems. Kerala’s traditional wisdom in healthcare to a great extent is based on the principles of Ayurveda. Making a strong come back in the modern era, Ayurveda has more takers than ever before. Talking about Ayurveda, in Kerala, visitors can check out a museum established and maintained by one of the leading names in Ayurveda – the Ashtavaidyan Thaikkattu Mooss Vaidyaratnam Group of Institutions. The Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda Museum is situated at Thaikkattussery, near Ollur in Thrissur District of Kerala, India. Here, visitors would come across the richness, the variety and the evolution of Ayurveda in India.
The foundation stone for the museum was laid by Matha Amruthanandamayi on 12 April 2005 and opened to the public by the former president of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on 27 December 2013. The museum is also a memorial of the Centenary celebrations of the founder of Vaidyaratnam, Sri. E. T. Neelakandan Mooss, who himself is a living legend of Ayurveda in India.
Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda Museum is housed in an old traditional spacious two stored main building. The museum has a Kerala traditional Nalukettu, Saraswathi Mandapam, Smruthi Mandapam and a modern theatre at an elevated 2 Acres ground near Vaidyaratnam corporate office. The main Museum has separate galleries of diorama presentations about the history of Ayurveda from mythological, Vedic, Sahitha, Sangraha, Medieval period to Kerala Ayurveda tradition in separate room with footnotes. Kayachikitsa (general medicine), Balachikitsa (paediatrics) (rejuvenation therapy) and Vrusha Chikitsa(reproductive medicine) – the various branches of Ayurveda are displayed in exhaustive detail.
In first floor, 3D gallery for traditional education, treatments, medicine manufacturing and its present developments, collection of raw herbs used for Ayurvedic medicines with descriptions, a library with huge collection of scripts and texts used by Ashtavaidyas and a Multimedia Touch Screen digital Library with large collection of videos of Kerala Ayurvedic treatments and digital palm leaf manuscripts are arranged. There are exhibits manifesting the facts and myths associated with the history and evolution of Ayurveda. The various modalities observed during the yesteryears of Ayurveda and the contemporary period spring to life here. But the audio-visual theatre, depicting the origin, growth and development of Ayurveda with a facility to accommodate 40 persons at a time is undoubtedly the show-stopper.
More over the museum buildings itself is a 100 years old, rich architectural heritage of Kerala
Visiting hours: 1000 to 1800 hrs, except on Mondays
Entry fee:
Adults: Rs. 50
Student (with ID card from the studying institution): Rs. 20
Students Group: Rs. 20/student (free tickets for the teachers)
Getting there
Nearest railway station: Thrissur, about 8 kmNearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 43 km
