AYURVEDIC PANCHKARMA – For a better quality of life

The Himalayas have remained an inspiration for spiritual pursuits down the ages and many sages have come seeking refuge in its secluded and serene valleys. This vast mountain chain is also the source of many rare herbs that have medicinal properties and have been used to heal many an ailing soul.

Himachal Pradesh, sheltered in the Himalayas has a rich bio-resource of medicinal plants and a rich stream of Ayurveda, a system of treatment indigenous to the Indian sub-continent, has been developed in the state. Some of the rarest medicinal plants with unique curative and preventive properties only grow in the rarefied altitudes of the Himalayan landscapes and are procured with great difficulty.

Ayurveda takes an holistic approach to life in which the objective is to achieve balance of the mind, body and spirit for internal and external harmony. When translated ‘Ayurveda’ literally means ‘Science of Life’.

Ayurveda as a system of treatment approaches life as a union of body (Sharir), sense organs (Indriya), Psyche (Mana) and Soul (Atma). It holds that disease erupts only when the equilibrium between three biological forces namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha breaks down. The treatment achieves results only when the balance in this ‘tridosha’ is established.

Of the varied ways of Ayurvedic treatment, Panchkarma therapy is unique and has become very popular. Panchkarma consists of five methods of treatment namely, Vamana, Virechana, Anuvasana Vasti, Niruhana Vasti and Nasya Karma. Panchkarma is a type of Shodhan Chikitsa where unlike Shaman Chikitsa, toxins are expelled out of the body and all the microcirculatory channels of the body get purified. This is a therapy based on three channels Purva Karmas, Pradhana Karmas and then Paschaat Karmas. Purva Karmas are the body preparatory procedures done before the actual process.

However, all five procedures are not always utilized. The treatment modality is based on the needs and circumstances of the individual,, so has Panchkarma always been an individual process. Therapies are chosen based on person’s innate constitution, strengths and weakness, imbalances, emotional state and even the season of the year. The digestive capacity of the individual is also considered. The Panchkarmas are intense treatments, done under the supervision of a qualified practitioner and require proper preparation.

TIBETAN CULTURE

The State of Himachal Pradesh is not new to Buddhism. Its two border districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti have been under the influence of Buddhism since 618-649 AD. It was, therefore, no surprise when Dalai Lama, In April 1960, chose Dharamshala, a hill station in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, to be the place where he would reside and later made it the Headquarters of the Tibetan Government in exile. Immediately McLeodganj, a small bazaar dotted with bungalows here and there, Dharamshala came to limelight and found place in world map. Today little Lhasa is the sobriquet attributed to McLeodganj because one sees the prayer wheels, Buddhist monks, the ochre red robes, chinky-eyed smart girls, Tibetan Jewellery, ornaments and crafts here. The whole environ is Lhasa like. Daily chant of prayers from Namgyal Monastery has a mesmerizing effect. Names like Yak or Shangri-La restaurant immediately takes one’s imagination to the spicy and hot Tibetan cuisine, which is delicacy for tourist and attraction for natives. Yes, the natives have also accepted the culinary intrusion of the foreigners gladly and without resistance. The cuisine is so palatable and in demand that many an Indian restaurant all over the State has accommodated Momo (meat dumplings) and Thupka (noodles in broth) in it’s a la carte.

Wonderland Himachal: Shimla

Shimla

Shimla the queen of hills came into existence as most of us will call ferom the date it got its space on the world map in the year 1864 when the then ordinary but a mistical village became the summer capital of the British India. 

It kept its staus till the final days of british existence in India and also the place was a summer seat of Punjab government from the year 1871onwards. the place kept on to be the headqaters of the partioned punjab till 1966. though a small place but destined to be of extraordinary significance, during the last part of the second world war the exiled government of Burma took a reufge in this adorable landscape.

The place has witnnesed the signing of many agreements and accords in the years gone by with its british archetectual heritage and the splendid senic beauty the place really seems blessed.  a place which has  remained an excellent spectator of the past, wittenessing the making and breaking of history many times, looks so young and vibrant that it still holds its age old charm.

 

Shimla with all its  youthfulness realy has all the makes for a queen, the toy train railway station which recently has been included in the world heritage list of UNESCO, all of the heritage structures of the british Raj, its geographical vicinity, the Ridge opening up the penorama of the grendour of the snow clad mountain ranges The Great Himalayas, the web of some of the most beautifully knetted roads and paths through dense oaks, cedars, rhododendruns and the places and archetecture of the historical significance leaves an everlasting impact on a persons memories.

Wonderland Himachal

Studded with snowy ranges, lush green forests, singing streams, verdant vales, shimmering lakes, Himachal Pradesh is inhabited by people of various caste, creed and religious groups. This wonderland located in the lap of Western Himalays has been adorned by beautiful, brave, courageous, honest and hard working people having unflinching faith in religious ceremonies and the existence of supernatural powers. Its unique composition, location and character all make it 'The Wonderland'.   

The life and landscape of Himachal is a colourful canvas of a free and fearless society which draws its nectar of strength from the shrines of different religions. It is bound between 30 22 to 33 12 North latitude and 75 47 to 79 4 East Latitude. The entire territory is mountanious with altitude varying from 350 to 7000 mts above the mean sea level.