Vaidyaratnam P.M.Varier

Arya Vaidya Sala (AVS) is a 121 years old Charitable Trust engaged primarily in the practice and propagation of the Indian traditional health care system of Ayurveda. It was established at Kottakkal in 1902 by the illustrious visionary, Vaidyaratnam P S Varier. Started primarily as a village clinic, Arya Vaidya Sala has now grown into a multi-unit, multi-disciplinary and multi-crore organisation with significant presence in clinical service, medicine manufacture, drug distribution, research, education, medicinal plant cultivation and publication of books and journals.

There are four hospital facilities being run by AVS at Kottakkal (2 nos.), Delhi and Kochi where all the classical Panchakarma therapies and the reputed Kerala special therapies are made available to patients under modern hospital set-up. The main hospital at Kottakkal and Delhi have received NABH accreditation. Patients from every part of the world come and stay at these hospitals to receive palliation from grave conditions of illness. One of them at Kottakkal with 160 beds is a Charitable hospital where the medicine, therapy, accommodation and food are provided free of cost to deserving patients. Allopathic treatment is also available in parallel at the Charitable hospital.

AVS operates three GMP accredited drug manufacturing units at Kottakkal, Kanjikode and Nanjangud. The unit at Nanjangud in Karnataka is the latest one which is dedicated to the production of a series of new-generation formulations for addressing the aspirations of contemporary practitioners and consumers. More than 550 classical and proprietary formulations are manufactured at these units and they are made available to patients across the country through 26 Branch clinics and more than 1800 Authorised dealers and other retail outlets.

As part of its activities to strengthen the knowledge base of Ayurveda as well as to spread the message of Ayurvedic healing system, AVS is proactively engaged in research and educational efforts. The Centre for Medicinal Plants Research (CMPR), which was inaugurated in 2003 by the then President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, is now recognised by the Central Government as a Centre of Excellence, and it is affiliated to the Kannur University as a learning centre. Several collaborative research programmes are undertaken here jointly with ICMR, DBT, AYUSH, CCMB etc. Other research activities in progress at AVS pertain to areas of clinical research, process improvement and new drug development. Some of these programmes have been taken up in collaboration with national apex bodies like DST, DAE, IIT, MAHE, etc. AVS extends financial support to and joins in the management of VPSV Ayurveda College at Kottakkal, which is affiliated to the Kerala University of Health Sciences.

The Publications Department of AVS publishes a Quarterly Research Journal on Ayurveda – ‘Aryavaidyan’, apart from bringing out reference manuals and other texts in Malayalam, Hindi, Sanskrit and English. Holding of annual Ayurveda Seminars and other academic events also forms part of activities of AVS directed at propagating the authentic practice of Ayurveda.

AVS also has under its wings the 80 years old PSV Natyasangham which is recognised as a leading Kathakali Centre imparting training as well as staging performances.

AVS is managed and guided by a Board of Trustees. The nationally reputed Physician and Scholar, Dr. P K Warrier led the institution as the Managing Trustee, for sixty seven years. After his demise, Dr. P M Varier is the present Managing Trustee.