TRIVANDRUM, India (dpa) – The day begins at 4 a.m. when rhythmical chanting from the nearby Hindu temple brings the whole district out of its slumbers.
The whole town of Kaliakkaviai in southern Indian on the Arabian See, awakes to a new day, and the Ayurveda tourists at the Sanjivani Health Farm on the outskirts of town are no exception. Their day begins with meditation, when patients concentrate on their inner- selves in preparation for individual therapies later in the day.Ayurveda medicine has been a way of life in the Indian provincial state of Kerala for 5,000 years. Today, increasingly more health farms in the region offer this gentle natural therapy to tourists.The farms have many different concepts, and not everywhere is the timetable as strict as at the Sanjivani Health Farm. But all of them require the courage to embrace a very different kind of health programme.Ayurveda is based on Hinduism. It is the science of long life. Although it is gaining increasing attention in Europe, it is controversial among conventional doctors. Some put the success of Ayurveda treatment down simply to the placebo effect and the friendly holiday climate.Ayurveda is a holistic medicine. It is based on the idea that when a person is ill, it is because they have lost their equilibrium. The treatment aims to regain it. It believes three forces determine the balance of the human body: pitta, the power of the sun, and determines the digestion and metabolism. Kapha, the moon, protects the inner organs. Vata, the wind, determines movement and the nerves. In an introductory examination, doctors ask about patients’ lifestyle and emotional life and makes a diagnosis tailored to the individual constitution.Tourists can choose between three different types of organisation. Therapy centres offer specialist appointments for holidaymakers staying in the area. Their reputation will depend on the doctor in charge. A 15-day “body cleansing package” in the Panchakarma Institute in Trivandrum costs 465 U.S. dollars. Half-board accommodation at nearby Coconut Bay Beach hotel over the same period will cost a further 825 dollars. It includes the chance to watch the mussel fishermen at work.The Ashtamudi lake resort further north offers guests accommodation and a treatment programme as an all-in package for around 1,130 dollars. The 15 days begin with red carpet treatment and welcoming music. But the health treatments after that are rather routine and business-like.There are no such compromises at the Sanjivani health farm on the border to the provincial state of Tamil Nadu. The programme includes an early start and treatment rituals led by the guru P.G. Kurup. For liberal-western visitors, the strict regime here takes a bit of getting used to. The cost, including pure ayurvedic vegetarian cuisine, costs 750 dollars for 15 days.
