Unforgotten Brands: Kottakal Arya Vaidya Sala

Panniyampally Sankunni Varier was born on April 10, 1869, in Kottakkal, part of Madras Presidency’s Malabar district. His parents, Marayamangalam Rama Varier and Panniyampally Kunjukutti Varasyar, were part of a traditional family in Kerala, and Sankunni was their eldest son.

Sankunni Varier began his Ayurvedic education at the age of seventeen under the classical Gurukula system, studying with Kuttanchery Vasudevan Moos, a Brahmin belonging to one of the eight renowned families of Ayurvedic practitioners in Kerala, known as the Ashtavaidyans. This education commenced in 1886. Additionally, Sankunni acquired proficiency in allopathy from Dr. Vargeese, a doctor at the Government Hospital in Manjeri, a town near Kottakkal.

Varier’s contributions extended beyond the realm of medicine. He was a scholar, poet, dramatist, musician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist whose efforts touched all aspects of cultural life. He was the architect behind Arya Vaidya Sala and a pivotal figure in the early 20th-century Kerala Renaissance movement, with Kottakkal as its centre. His dedication to humanity was profound, and he bequeathed his entire inheritance to posterity through his unique will.

In 1902, Varier founded Arya Vaidya Sala in Kottakkal, a small town in the Malappuram district, of Kerala. Initially a small clinic offering outpatient treatment and selling Ayurvedic medicines, it grew significantly over the years. In 1917, Varier established the Arya Vaidya Patasala (School of Ayurvedic Medicine) in Kozhikode, teaching under the Gurukula method. Later, Varier relocated this school to Kottakkal, where it evolved into the Vaidyaratnam P. S. Varier Ayurveda College, affiliated with the Kerala University of Health Science.

The Kottakkal Charitable Trust has managed the clinic since Varier’s death on January 30, 1944, in accordance with the terms of his will. The Government of British India honoured Varier with the title of Vaidyaratnam (jewel among physicians) in 1933.

After Varier’s death, his nephew, P. Madhava Warrier, became the Chief Physician and the first Managing Trustee of the charitable trust. He modernised the institution and spearheaded its growth until his untimely death in an air crash in 1953. The next head was his youngest brother, P. K. Warrier, a physician and Padma Bhushan awardee, who served as the Managing Trustee and Chief Physician. After P. K. Warrier’s passing, P. Madavankutty Warrier took over as managing trustee.

Today, Arya Vaidya Sala is synonymous with authentic Ayurveda and serves as a premier destination for scholars, students, and patients from India and abroad. It also stands as India’s premier Ayurvedic treatment and research centre. It practices authentic Ayurveda and undertakes extensive research in related fields. The institution aims for global recognition of Ayurveda as a robust, scientific healthcare system capable of addressing modern health challenges, particularly those arising from changing lifestyles.