Abstract
The indigenous wisdom and practices remained the basis of subsistence of traditional mountain communities. Rich in bio-resources and indigenous knowledge, the Himalayan region is truly a sacred land, where nature has conferred its unrivaled treasure to its inhabitants. From the times of yore, the mighty Himalayas have acted as the meeting ground for different races, cultures, religions, etc. and nurtured the world’s greatest civilizations. Really, the Himalayas acted like a guardian and prevented its natives from various invasions. The entire range offers daring expedition to unearth the hidden treasures. North-Western Himalayas has varied climatic conditions which favor floral, faunal and cultural diversity. The region is a home of many indigenous and ethnic groups. Entire region has a rich legacy of folk medicine and other indigenous health care practices. There is a long tradition of using herbs both for preventive and therapeutic purpose by indigenous societies. Indian medical history is filled with galore of sage-cum-physicians who augmented the fields of science. Mountain communities have sufficient knowledge regarding identifying, harvesting, utilizing and preserving herbs in their natural habitats for sustainable utilization. The traditional knowledge is available in the form of oral narrations lacking scientific credentials, which needs to be documented, preserved and utilized for the betterment of mankind.
…tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything...
Shakespeare
As You Like It
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Notes
- 1.
Yogi is a practitioner of Yoga or ascetic practitioners involved in deep contemplation.
- 2.
Rig Veda is an ancient collection of Vedic hymns in Sanskrit praising Gods which are still recited as prayers, during religious occasions.
- 3.
Sama Veda is the ancient sacred scripture and second of the four Vedas.
- 4.
Mahabharata is one of the two major epics of primeval India, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of history, which besides its epic account of Kurukshetra War, contains much theoretical material, pertaining to the four ‘goals of life’.
- 5.
Yudhishtra was the eldest son of King Pandu of Indraprastha. He was known as Dharmaraja, for his goodness.
- 6.
Pandavas were the five sons of King Pandu, their names being Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.
- 7.
Swargarohan is a journey of soul towards heaven after liberation from body.
- 8.
Skanda Purana is the prime Hindu Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen religious texts, whose text is dedicated mainly to the miraculous life of Subramanya, son of Lord Shiva and Parvati.
- 9.
Sankhya is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy and classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally known as the founder of this school.
- 10.
Atreya is a descendant of Atri, one of the great Hindu sages whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas.
- 11.
Charak Samhita or the “Compendium of sage Charaka” is an early text on Indian traditional medicine. It is one of the two foundational texts of this field.
- 12.
Sushrut Samhita is a Sanskrit text on surgery, attributed to Sushruta, a historical physician of 6th century. It consists of 184 chapters, description of more than 1000 illnesses, 700 herbs and preparations from mineral sources and based on animal sources.
- 13.
Agni Purana is one of 18 Puranas and contains about fifteen and a half thousand verses.
- 14.
Garuda Purana is one of the Puranas which are part of the Hindu body of texts known as Smriti. It contains details of life, after death, funeral rites and the metaphysics of reincarnation.
- 15.
Matasya Purana is one of the oldest Post-Vedic Hindu scriptures called the Puranas. It narrates the story of Matsya (Fish), the first of ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
- 16.
Aitereya Upanishad is one of the Upanishads commented upon by sages such as Adi Shankara and Madhvacharya.
- 17.
Taila Droni is an ancient method of healing which make use of oils for treating diseases.
- 18.
Unani refers to a tradition of Graeco-Arabic medicine, which is based on the teachings of Greek physician Hippocrates.
- 19.
Kiratas are the ethnic people inhabiting the Himalayan region.
- 20.
Kinnars are the tribal people, inhabiting the tribal district Kinnaur having a well-organized political and administrative set up.
- 21.
Khasas are an Indo-Aryan ethnic people who inhabit district Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Shimla, Sirmaur and Kinnaur of Himachal Pradesh, as well as of Kumaon-Garhwal.
- 22.
Darads are people belonging to ethnic Himalayan tribe.
- 23.
Puranas are spiritual texts, including the narratives from creation to demolition, lineages of emperors, legendary heroes, theorists and accounts of Hindu cosmology and ideology.
- 24.
Anulepana is act of applying ointment, paste, cream or lotion on body.
- 25.
Sweccharupadharini is the art of assuming different forms at one’s own desire.
- 26.
Mahishasura is the name of a demon, whose narratives are available in the Hindu mythology.
- 27.
Astragamarhudya is the knowledge which deals with the weapons and art of wining. According to Hindu mythology this knowledge was passed by a scholar, named Manorama to king Manu.
- 28.
Sarvabhutaru is the knowledge which facilitates a person to construe the language of animals, birds, insects, etc. According to Hindu mythology, a scholar called Vibhavari blessed Manu with this wisdom.
- 29.
Pamini is the wisdom which enables a person to find hidden treasures.
- 30.
Rakshoghna is the knowledge by which the malicious upset the ritualistic performances.
- 31.
Jalandhari is a wisdom, which according to Hindu mythology, was passed by sage Valmiki to Lav and Kush, two sons of Lord Rama.
- 32.
Parabala is the skill of imparting spiritual powers and according to Hindu mythology, lady Tripura, bestowed this knowledge on Arjuna, which enabled him to view Lord Krishna’s cosmic self.
- 33.
Purushapramodini is the art of hypnotization and finds its mention in epics and holy treatise.
- 34.
Ullapanavidhana is the art of straightening the twisted things. Lord Krishna used this knowledge to uncurl the deformed body of a lady known by the name Kubja.
- 35.
Kubja, according to the great epic Mahabharata, is said to be one of the female servants of king Kansa, and was known to possess deformed body. It is after the blessings of Lord Krishna, that she was revived back to normal from her physical ailment.
- 36.
Yuvakaran is the process by which any old object could be revived to young form. Legendary queen Shakuntala was known to possess this knowledge.
- 37.
Vajravahanika is the art by which one could mark and destroy opponent in disguise.
- 38.
Vajreshwari is the knowledge associated with vanquishing of enemies.
- 39.
Gopala mantra is the knowledge by which one could attain ability in the speech to turn out things true.
- 40.
Mritsanjeevani, written by learned Sukracharya, is a knowledge, which offers protection all kind of diseases.
- 41.
Karanpisachini vidya, a process of achieving mystic powers which can equip a person to read the mind of others.
- 42.
Pujari means priest.
- 43.
Ojhas are exorcists.
- 44.
Jagar is a Sanskrit word means to ‘wake’. In this process—a spirit is invoked in the body of living human being.
- 45.
Thau-dham is a traditional Tibetan therapy.
- 46.
Tantra-mantra primarily deals with the spiritual practices and ritualistic worship, which aim at liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
- 47.
Asklepian is the ancient Greek God of healing.
- 48.
Daksha Prajapati was a legendry king who was born out of the right thumb of Lord Brahma and all people are believed to be his descendants.
- 49.
Ashwins, in Hindu mythology are divine twin sons of Saranya, a Goddess of clouds and wife of Sun. The Ashwins are Vedic Gods symbolizes sunrise and sunset. They are the doctors of Gods and Ayurvedic medicine.
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Gupta, P., Sharma, V.K., Sharma, S. (2014). The Bountiful Himalayas. In: Healing Traditions of the Northwestern Himalayas. SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1925-5_1
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