KMC’s 100-year tale of Ayurveda healing
Sri Lanka’s very first Ayurveda Medical Dispensary was established in Katukelle, Kandy on February 19, 1925. Treatment and medicines were given free of charge and the people named these dispensaries ‘Ping Beheth Shalawa’ meaning meritorious medical dispensaries as this service was a great boon to the needy.
With the popularity of this dispensary, more centres were later opened in the municipal limits of Kandy; in 1940 in Asgiriya, Buwelikada and Getambe, in 1950 at Katugastota and Ampitiya, at Aruppola in 1962, followed by Mahaiyawa in 1963. The Jatika Pola centre was opened in 1987, and Rosa Watte and Dangolla in 1988.
On February 19 and 20 this year, an Ayurveda exhibition titled ‘100 Vasaraka Abhimanayé Ayurveda Pradarshanaya Ha Sanwathsara Veda Satahana’ organised by the Kandy Municipal Council (KMC) was held to commemorate 100 years of its Urban Ayurveda Department. Central Province Governor Prof. Sarath Abhayakoon was the chief guest and the Chief Secretary and other senior government officials attended.
Centenary celebrations: Schoolchildren join in
Speaking on the Ayurveda service they continue to provide to the citizens of the municipal area in Kandy, Commissioner of the Kandy Municipal Council Indika Abeysinghe said last year, 50,000 patients had received treatment from these Ayurveda Centres.
The Ayurveda Department has ten doctors, eight medical dispensaries, three clinics, a Panchakarma unit, a production unit and a sales centre. “We use mostly indigenous medicinal plants but a very small amount of raw material is imported from India,” she said.
Sri Lanka has its own indigenous methods of traditional medicine known as hela wedakama which has been practised for thousands of years going back to the time of Ravana.
Dr. Dharshani Dissanayake, the chief urban Ayurveda doctor of the Department of Ayurveda Medicine of the KMC explained the programme that was arranged at the ‘Karliya’ Auditrium and Art Gallery of the KMC. On February 19, two Ayurveda Doctors addressed schoolchildren and a medical camp was held on the 20th. On both days there was an exhibition at the Art Gallery where ola leaf manuscripts of medicine and implements used for hela vedakama were displayed. On February 21, a shramadana, was organised at Dunumadalawa, which is above the reservoir on Rajaphilla Mawatha in Kandy.
With the intention of supplying high quality medicine through the Ayurveda medical centres, the production unit which was opened in Getambe in 1940, has now been reorganised and upgraded with new machinery.
Herbal gardens have been established in Ampitiya, Aruppola and Dunumadalawa from where the required herbs are obtained. The medicine derived from these herbs are used to prepare many kinds of medicines and oils such as desandun Kalkaya/ Pinda/ sarpashadi/ Nilyadi /Seethodaka /peens, nirgunda and many more.
The Department has also diversified. Beauty products such as Neelikahara herbal powder, Javikranthi herbal powder, Kesha Ranjani oil, Ayurveda shampoo, bodywash, face wash and many other products using white sandalwood and venivel are prepared and made available to pharmacies in the city.
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