Kerala’s Āyurvedic Tradition and Sanskrit Sources

Kerala’s Āyurvedic Tradition and Sanskrit Sources is an investigation into the continuation of Kerala Āyurvedic Tradition by Keralite authors through their Sanskrit work on Āyurveda in the evolution of Kerala culture. Firstly the origin of Āyurveda from Indus Valley and its transition from magico-religious treatment to empirico-rational treatment reflected in the authentic texts of Āyurveda are traced. Basic principles of Āyurveda like Pañcabhūta theory Tridoṣa theory etc. are dealt with in detail. Then an attempt is also made to trace the evolution of Āyurveda in Kerala and to give a number of some special therapies exclusively developed and practiced in Kerala. The influence of Siddha tradition can also be noticed in the Kerala tradition of Āyurveda. It is hoped that the present study will prompt Āyurvedic scholars to pursue the subject matter further and establish the link between Śāstra (Theory) and Prayoga (Practise). And it is high time to collect and codify the traditional rural knowledge among common masses and disseminate that knowledge and methods of preparation of some simple and yet effective medicine to the common people through Kuṭumbaśrees (organizations of women) and educational institutions etc. to check the exploitation by multinational companies in the era of globalization.