— T.S.Venkatesh –
Athular Salai ( hospital ). Similar such health facilities were functioning in Thiruvakkam near kanchipuram, Thanjavur and Srirangam
It is amazing to know that during regime of monarchy, they have made hospitals with beds, medical facilities to its citizen including surgeon and a protocol in place which our most advanced and modern day high-tech era rulers could not able to meet needs of people during the Covid 19 pandemic time.
Our ancient temples not only a treasure trove, served as centers of learning, arts and music and preserving bharathiya culture but also run hospitals. Gau-mutra was used as medicine and mentally ill were treated. This shows how visionary and knowledgeable were our Kings.
The Chola kings, who ruled some 1,100 years ago, took care of their people under their kingdom with unimaginable medical services to them. A cursory glance at an inscription found in a temple in Tamil Nadu throw light on how the Chola (Chozha) kings had set up a 15 bed hospital with general physicians, surgeons and other para medics. The stone inscriptions found on the walls of Appan Venkatesa Perumal Temple at Thirummukkuoodal near Kancheepuram district shed lights on complete details of medical procedures, salary of doctors( in the form of paddy- proportionate to their work, the kind of herbal medicine used and the method off ration food among inmates.
The comprehensive Tamil engravings on the granite wall of the temple, deemed to be one of the biggest one found so far in the Indian subcontinent, gave details of the medical center set up by Virarajendra Chola* in 1069 AD at the confluence of rivers Cheyyar, Vegavathi and Paalar.
The center had A doctor, a surgeon, 2 male nurses who brought herbs and firewood, and prepared medicines, 2 female nurses who administered doses of medicines, fed the patients, and attended to the cooking, a barber** ( hair -dresser) to perform minor surgeries, a washer man, a potter and a gatekeeper. The 55 ft long inscriptions has 33 lines running from top to bottom.
According to S Rajavelu, adjunct faculty member of Dept. of History, Alagappa University, Karaikudi and former epigraphist with ASI, who studied the engravings in the past, said 98 percent of the engravings are in Tamil and remaining 2percent in Grantha script. it throws light on 19 herbal medicines used for treating common fever, lung diseases and dropsy (an old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of excess water in body).
He said “ It was established to provide medical care for the students, teachers of the Vedic school run by the temple and public. It is clear from the inscriptions that the temple funded both the school and the hospital from its earnings through its properties” say the engravings.
Free treatments were given to students, teachers of the college as well the temple staff. One of the inscriptions listing out the kind of medicines that were used at that time. In that list, the third one, Gomutra Haritaki, was prepared using Gau Mutra.
Veera Rajendra Deva (1063-1069 AD) is the son of the famous Chola emperor Rajendra (1014-1044 AD) who led a successful expedition to the Ganges valley and established a maritime empire comprising of Kadaram (modern Kedah of Malaysia and adjoining areas) and Srivijaya (modern Sumatra).King Rajendra Chola also established diplomatic relations with Cambodia and China.
**In Tamil Nadu, barbers are still considered to be experts and practitioners of traditional medicine which they inherit from their fathers or elders of the family.
A tweet by Ethirajan Srinivasan @ Ethirajans say
The Thirumukudal inscription of Veera Rajendra
. ‘The Annual Report on Epigraphy notes how the specific medicine finds mention in the 67th verse of 9th chapter of Saraka Samhita and in the 6th chapter of Sushruta Samhita. As per the latter, Gomutra Haritaki, the medicine prepared by soaking chebulic myrobalan or Haritaki, as it is known in Ayurveda, in Gau Mutra for a night, can cure internal piles. It was also used as a medicine for jaundice. Apart from this, the hospital also accommodated mentally ill people and gave them medical aid” says Hindu post.
“The hospital offered Ayurvedic cum Siddha medicine as it had references of medicinal plants” said Rajavelu. He said that the inscriptions talked of an “Athular Salai ( hospital ). Similar such health facilities were functioning in Thiruvakkam near kanchipuram, Thanjavur and Srirangam” . The 9th Century temple is being maintained by ASI . it plans to recreate the garden by planting herbs mentioned in the engravings.
