Volume-X, Issue-VI, November 2024 |
Role of Kavirajas in the Practice of Ayurveda during Colonial Murshidabad Mehebub Hossain, Research Scholar, Department of History, Aliah University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
Received: 18.11.2024 | Accepted: 25.11.2024 | Published Online: 30.11.2024 | Page No: 160-165 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.10.issue.06W.017 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
The history of Bengal during the colonial period is very important from the point of view of public health and medical care services. So many changes were seen in people’s health and medical care systems along with social, economic and political changes. Diseases like cholera, smallpox, malaria and kala-azar came again and again as epidemic form. Western Medicines such as allopathic and homeopathy were introduced under government patronage, as a result indigenous medical systems especially ayurveda faced various challenges. The colonial government’s attitude towards Indian traditional medicines was not good. A strong desire to introduce European medicines in India was always work in their minds. There was a concept called ‘Anglicist-orientalist controversy’ regarding the introduction of western education in India. This concept also influenced British rulers in introducing public health system in India. Colonial government stopped practice of native medical science in Calcutta Madrasa and Sanskrit College through the establishment of the Calcutta Medical College. After this incident few eminent ayurvedic practitioners of Bengal played important role in the renaissance of ayurveda. They played significant role in preparing medicines, publishing journals and by establishing ayurvedic training schools. A few ayurvedic practitioner of Murshidabad district also played significant contribution in this regard. Keywords: Ayurveda, Colonial, Bengal, Kaviraj, Murshidabad. |