6 days ago
100 years of solace: Tripunithura Govt Ayurveda College sails into centenary year
In abundance of medicinal plants and a long lineage of expert practitioners have made Kerala a sanctum of Ayurveda. And nowhere is this made more profound than at the Government Ayurveda College, a century-old institution in Puthiyakavu near Tripunithura, Kochi.
A cluster of Nalpamaram — arayal, pearl, atthi and itthi (resin-bearing ficus trees used in skin treatments) — adorns the college's entranceway. Their presence, and even their fragrance, is symbolic of its rich Ayurvedic heritage.
'While the college is indeed 100 years old, it began very modestly elsewhere — in Tripunithura, the stronghold of the erstwhile Cochin kingdom,' says Dr Jayan Damodaran, an associate professor. 'This new campus was set up only in 1973.'
