OLASSA DHANWANTHARI VILASAM AYURVEDA VAIDYASALA

Family Background Chirattamann Illam, one of the Ashtavaidyan families, used to be at Angadippuram in Malappuram district. The family temples - one for Dhanwanthari and one for Sivan - exist there even now. As much as in Ashtaanga Chikitsa, the family members were adept equally in the treatment of elephants. During Tippu Sulthan's invasion of erstwhile Malabar (1788 AD), the family moved out like many others and sought asylum under the Mahaaraaja of Thiruvithaamkoor, who obliged and made him the court physician. After a few years at Maruthorvattam near Cherthala, an Illam was built and land given to them at Olassa near Kottayam, and thereafter the family came to be known as Olassa Mooss. They looked after the health aspects of the Namboothiri participants in the six-yearly Murajapam until the last one held in 1954.

WHY "CHIRATTAMANN" ?
It is said that the Ashtavaidyan family, "Chirattamann", literally meaning "coconut shell-soil", got that name as a result of the successful treatment of an elephant. Once, the handsome he-elephant belonging to a local chieftain was afflicted with a serious swelling which could have turned out fatal. None of the local physicians were successful in treating it. And then Mooss was sent for and brought. He suggested surgery and they made the necessary preparations. Mooss asked his disciple to make the medicines needed to be applied after the surgery. But when the time came, he was not to be seen, and Mooss was in a fix. He filled some soil in a coconut shell, prayed to his family god, Dhanwanthari, and applied it on the open wound where the elephant was operated upon. To everyone's surprise, the wound healed and the elephant got well.The known family tree dates back to one Ravi Mooss (b.: 1789 AD or 964 ME Kumbham), son of one Parameswaran Mooss. Ravi Mooss had nine boys and nine girls (!) and later, the family was connected through marriage to most other Ashtavaidyan families. The fifth son, Narayanan married from Nagaru Illam in 1860 at the age of 38, when all his brothers died. Since all the later first-born sons were named Narayanan, they are sequentially numbered one, two, and so on. Narayanan Mooss - 2 (1861 - 1912) had special expertise in identifying signs of approaching death. The then Mahaaraaja of Thiruvithaamkoor had given him a "Veera Srimkhala" (a kind of medal of honour). Narayanan Mooss - 3 (1890 - 1961) served as an honorary Aayurvedam Director of the Government of Thiruvithaamkoor during 1938 - 44, and has a large number of disciples. His third child, Parvathy Devi was the first lady doctor who studied and practised Aayurvedam. Narayanan Mooss - 4 (b.: 1936) studied Aayurvedam under his father, while Narayanan Mooss - 5 (b.: 1964) took his BAMS degree from Vaidyarathnam Aayurveda College, Ollur. Vaidyasaala The Olassa Dhanwanthari Vilasam Ayurveda Vaidyasala was establisahed in 1928 by Narayanan Mooss - 3 and has branches at Kottayam, Alappuzha and Cherthala. Medical formulations are manufactured in the Vaidyasala and marketed. They do not maintain a medicinal plantation. Narayanan Mooss-4 now runs the Vaidyasala and is assisted by his son Narayanan Mooss-5.

Address :
C N Narayanan Mooss,
Dhanwanthari Vilasam Ayurveda Vaidyasala,
Olassa, Kottayam - 686 014

Ayurveda

Learning from nature had been the core of Vedas (ancient Indian Culture) and Ayurveda is also not an exception to this. In Vedas, treatments are divided into two - Bheshajam and Aushadham. Bheshajam is prayers, meditation, chanting manthram, homam (sacrifices in fire pit) etc. by which peace of mind, calmness and hope. Aushadham is use of medicines. (The term aushadhi itself means herbal - things available from plants and trees). Hence, there were prayers to Gods and Goddesses for curing illness and general well being along with the use of medicines. Here comes the importance of Lord Dhanwanthari, the God of Ayurveda.

The mythological story goes like this: To get Amruth (nectar - the medicine for immortality) Devas (heavenly bodies) and Asuras (demons) started crushing Palazhi (milky ocean). From the ocean many things came out - kama dhenu (the holy cow which gives whatever you ask for), Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth), airavatham (the white elephant with 2 pairs of tuskers) and Amruth. Lord Dhanwanthari (a partial incarnation of Lord Vishnu) came out with a pot full of Amruth (nectar).