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Heritage Awareness Programme for People’s Representative

The Centre for Heritage Studies has initiated a heritage awareness programme for people’s representatives. The first awareness camp was organized for Kasaragode District Panchayat at Kanhangad on 13 Jan 2007. The program was participated by Dr. K.K.N. Kurup, Director General, CHS; Dr. M.V. Nair, Dr. M.R. Varier, Mr. P.K. Gopi, Registrar, CHS, Kasaragod Zila Panchayat President, the Municipal Chairman and others. 

The second programme was organized at Kannur on 7^th February 2007. The programme was presided over by Mr. KK. Narayanan, President of Kannur District Panchayat. The programme was participated by by Dr. K.K.N. Kurup, Director General, CHS; Dr. Mohandas and Mr. P.K. Gopi, Registrar, CHS. 

Heritage Awareness Camp for School Students

Prservation,Propagation and documentation of medicinal plants and the related knowledge system

Kerala is one of the richest regions in the case of medicinal herbs and plants due to the salubrious climate and natural biodiversities. Based on such traditional knowledge of plants and herbs, the region even practiced a different system of Ayurveda in this region, incorporating some deviation from the organised system. The term Aryavaidya denoted that, it was different from the native or indigenous knowldege.

It was this rich knowledge of intangible natural heritage and availability of medicinal plants compelled Van Rheede, the Dutch Governor of Malabar (1678 to 1693) to effect a compilation of the Malabar plants in Latin viz. “Hortus malabaricus” to persuade the home authorities for shifting the naval headquarters from Colombo to Cochin. Although it was the first time a systematic documentation of the Malabar plants and their medicinal use were effected, there were considerable human activities to preserve and popularize a knowledge system related to medicinal plants and herbs in Kerala. Even the illiterate people had shared this knowledge as a practice for sustenance of life. As such, the plants and herbs availed in abundance in the forests were planted in home gardens for ready availability and domestic use. This preservation strategy has adopted simultaneously a propagation technique that, the villagers knew from where they could find particular species for their use. This was mainly done on the basis of oral tradition. The traditional knowledge of the medicinal use of such plants was also transmitted from generation to generation through orality. The tribal community in Wayanad and other places mastered such traditional knowledge of medicinal herbs and plants and their usage. Such a vital knowledge of plants and herbs was mastered by the rural midwives through generations. They also knew where a particular herb or plant was available.

When we discuss the problems and perspectives related to the "intangible natural heritage and museums", it should be realized that the vast knowledge and the strategy of preservation were available to the rural population through an informal and a oral transmission of the knowledge system.

An awareness in this direction was created through folk lore and folk traditions. The rich Tarawad houses in their home gardens had grown several plants and made them available for public use. They also encouraged their tenants to grow such plants as a cause of charity. The systematic learning of Sanskrit and Ayurveda was the educational system prevailed in the pre-colonial period in Kerala. Only rich families could undertake such studies for long years. Some of them in the Royal families extended their patronage to the lower sections of society. The ruling class at Thrippunithura was known for their traditional knowledge in Sanskrit and Ayurveda.

In a system like this, the traditional physicians mastered a rich knowledge of medicinal herbs. Their Sanskrit names and the local names were familiar to them. For several centuries, Kerala had preserved a large number of palm leaves texts of Ayrvedic medicinal system including the plants’ name and their positive usage in different combinations. There were several commentaries also on those traditional texts to preserve the knowledge system. For instance, the commentaries like Sargadhara had been popular in Kerala in the indigenous medicinal system. All such intellectual activities and the training programme under a particular teacher in both Sanskrit and Ayurveda or Aryavaidya inculcated an awareness towards the preservation of plant life. Further, planting of trees, promotion of medicinal herbs and plants, etc. were treated as one's own sacred duty. In fact, a philosophy related to the plant life and its preservation had been popularised in the agrarian society. Kerala is a region where households, village shrines, and local shrines have maintained rich groves or 'Kavus' or part of an ecological system to preserve water sources. Such groves are the repositories of medicinal plants like a natural museum. Many of the forest deities worshipped by the village communities are patrons of wild life and sacred trees. In fact Pipal or Aswatha has been treated as a sacred and cult tree in every temple or shrine. Such trees have already become an intangible heritage. They are not only medicinal trees but heritage trees in the social life of a country. Another example is 'Neem' associated with the treatment of Pox. Even a goddess has been attributed to the diseases as “Mariyamma”.

The entry of the modern medicinal system, inaugurated a modern pharmacy in Ayurveda also. Sri. P.S. Varrier with his Aryavaidya Sala was a harbinger in this process. Naturally, the pharmaceutical knowledge was strengthened in the new system. Unfortunately, the rich knowledge system which had continued for centuries through physicians, oral traditions, etc of plant life was gradually alienated from the rural public. An educated modern degree holder in Ayurveda is not in a position to identify at least a hundred plants with their systematic Sanskrit terms. He depends mainly on a modern pharmacy. This process of alienation has disturbed a traditional knowledge system promoted through centuries in the field of medicine and medicinal plants. Simultaneously, the preservation and propagation system along with an oral documentation of the plants and herbs were lost from our society.

It has been pointed out by researchers that a tribal woman in Wayanad could identify more than 200 plants and herbs with their local names. She also knew of their usage in daily life as medicine and food. When we wanted to preserve our bio- diversities, this process of traditional knowledge should be further articulated among the rural folk.

An active plan for panchayats in processing and propagating the knowledge of medicinal plants is necessary to cope with the action plan of UNESCO. Each panchayat in this action plan can be converted into a heritage museum of plants and herbs. The farmers who possess some land and the resource of water can be encouraged to grow a garden. Almost all varieties of plants have to be grown in a village. There should be arrangement for purchase also as an encouragement. The school going children can also be brought into the program. Their contribution can be rewarded with additional or internal marks for project assignment etc. Any program in this direction is directly related to the restoration of knowledge which is being gone in to oblivion in the rural communities. As such the concept of a village museum for plants has to be encouraged and practiced.  

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