2008 - Fort Cochin - Karnataka


















Kochin 

Kochi [also known as Cochin] is a jewel in the crown of Kerala with its European heritage and true cosmopolitan temperament. A leisurely walk through its streets is one of the best ways to discover all that the city has to offer - it's natural harbour and historical sites. A boat ride across the breathtaking blue lagoons and backwaters offers a glimpse of kochi's rural life and its true beauty. 

Kerala is also renowned for practicing ayurveda with absolute authenticity and dedication, and is recognized by the World Health Organization as an alternative system of medicine. Whether it’s a relaxing massage you need or a therapy for a specific ailment, you are at the best location to experience this treatment

Most visitors head for Kerala's beaches and backwaters to recharge and relax. But some, on a more serious quest for better health, come expressly to sample Kerala's renowned ayurvedic treatments. 

Ayurveda, the science of long life is an ancient system that uses herbs and oils to treat a range of ailments. 

Fundamental to ayurvedic philosophy is the belief that we all possess three doshas or humours: vataam (wind or air); pitam (bile); and kpham (phlegm). Together these are known as the tridoshas and disease is viewed as the result of imbalance among them. Ayurveda aims to restore that balance, and hence good health, principally through two methods: panchakarma (internal unifications) and snehana (massage).

The herbs used for both grow in abundance in Kerala's moist climate, many of them in the hilly, forested areas of the hinterland where they are harvested by tribal people. Every town and village in Kerala has its ayurvedic pharmacy where the medicinal plants, fresh and dried, are sold.Ayurvedic practice in Kerala places special emphasis on message and is claimed to be particularly beneficial for those suffering such chronic ailments as arthritis and rheumatism. 

The type of oil used in massage differs according to the ailment being treated, but ranges from castor and neem to mustard and camphor. To these are added various powdered herbs, nuts and bark. The ayurvedic practitioner may conduct the massage using the palm of the hand, a cloth or a poultice of herbs wrapped up in a cloth-it all depends on the type of condition being treated.