Story of Vaidyagrama

A dream seen by a group of 4 young vaidyas & 2 management experts, took life to become the Vision of vaidyagrama… An initiative of Punarnava Ayurveda in Coimbatore – South India, it is situated in the green outskirts of the city. vaidyagrama was created as a Vastu-wise, patient-friendly, healing space in the year 2008. It is an eco-friendly endeavour amidst Nature and caters authentic Ayurveda to seekers from around the globe.

Vaidyagrama was born in 2008, an apt era when the world was moving towards Nature, towards ancient wisdom, towards better faith in Ayurveda & Indian Knowledge Systems. Its Temple of Healing; its spaces made of mud blocks; its classical care with authentic Ayurveda; its naturally grown flora and fauna; it’s being away from chemicals, plastics and pollution; its following Ayurveda way of life without any compromise on the time-tested values are all witness of vaidyagrama being on its mission to the Vision of “Authentic Ayurveda for Universal Wellbeing”.

Vaidyagrama is placed in the outskirts of Coimbatore, and is protected by mountains around, and adorned by Nature’s own forest and living beings, let to be naturally.
Its aesthetically designed in Kerala Nalukettu style architecture gives adequate space for all to be. There are 48 rooms, divided into four clusters, allocating 12 rooms for each of the four medical directors.
One can see four patient units and two treatment rooms around each of the courtyards. The concept and space allow personalised care to each patient, and the healing space is positive for you with a foyer, a double bedroom, bath and balcony encased in greenery.

Vaidyagrama offers Ayurveda care for medical conditions varying from arthritis to stress to musculoskeletal disorders to women’s health to reproductive issues to neurological disorders and cancer, amongst many others.
After the advised average duration of three to four weeks here, the patients take back home an ideally healthy way of healing and being.

Healing at vaidyagrama itself becomes an eye-opener, a learning experience about how to live well. In addition, Vaidyagrama also offers learning opportunities to seekers of Ayurveda knowledge. It creates lessons for beginners and advanced learners, and the informal learning atmosphere lends learning doors to all its pupils, guided by the experience and expertise of its Vaidyas.
Vaidyagrama believes that Ayurveda is truly learnt in the experiential mode, by observing, being, assimilating, participating, understanding the very way of life lived therein. Hence at vaidyagrama, the endeavor is to make learning a 24-hours relaxed learning experience, rather than a limited 5 hours classroom experience. Tailor-made for each student/ group, Vaidyagrama has customized Ayurveda programs to suit the need and based on the available span of time varying from 1 month to 3/6 months and more.

A typical day dawns early at Vaidyagrama, with the medicine routine, and goes on to usher the day well with the morning prayer at the “Brahmakamalam”, where your Vaidya leads the prayer and meditation session, and seeks Divine blessings for all. The day sees the routine of Vaidya consultations and treatment sessions for every patient, along with the Ayurveda food served hot to each of the rooms throughout the day.

Understanding the need of relaxation and introspection, there is a daily Yoga nidra session of guided relaxation, followed by inspiring satsangs at “Mandapam” by Vaidyas, wherein more light is shed on concepts of Ayurveda, philosophy and good living. The evenings of each day are reserved for activities including Nature walks within the campus identifying the medicinal plants, cow pooja on Fridays, ayurveda cooking class, medicine preparation demo, and even video shows and Q&A with the vaidyas on various topics on Ayurveda.

You also get to learn how to make buttermilk & ghee, or to share the experiences of another patient, or even get to make candles or soaps with recycled oil. The natural way of cooking in the Vaidyagrama kitchen, using biomass briquettes as fuel is always been a thing of joy to watch and learn for all. There is the evening prayer that closes activities before a quiet dinner, after which the patients are to retire to their rooms.

The guests get to be part of the monthly special poojas and chants like Ganapathy Homams, and Narayaneeyam…along with the daily prayers at Vaidyagrama s own abode of Lord Dhanwantari, at the temple in the premises. A well-stocked library caters to all interested in reading on any subject including Ayurveda. Along with the Vaidyagrama gift shop offering mementoes and utilities of India, there is a gift of goodness and family culture that one takes back home, always.

The team, led by Dr Ramkumar & guided by life coaches Dr J M Sampath & Dr Kalpana Sampath, has third-generation vaidyas as Dr Ramadas, Dr Harikrishnan, Dr Harikumar, and Dr Ramanandan, and their healing team who pave your way of healing. Here the healing journey is to good health and natural living, with the traditional Ayurveda treatments that include classical, freshly prepared medicines, naturally cooked healthy food, positive lifestyle and more, in a most suited naturally created serene ambience. Vaidyagrama indeed is sharing its dream with the world, when it upholds healing relationships, and not transactional relationships.

Every guest or patient feels part of vaidyagrama family, when even most of the healing team stays in the premises, and lives together, literally living, praying, eating and sharing together. One always finds the Vaidya available to share a concern or joy; there is always the reassurance and rejoice of a family ambience, when Vaidyagrama family celebrates all occasions and festivals together; divides and sorts issues; believes in the Vision happily.

During a course of stay, one necessarily feels at home, and vows to come back to heal again, and of course, to visit the family again. Even the social media helps, when the Newsletters/ Facebook page/ Instagram handle of Vaidyagrama Community also helps keep the family across the world connected, and informed of all that is happening.

The Vaidyagrama family aims to grow as part of a global community, and this endeavour is worked upon by the sister concern Punarnava Ayurveda Trust, a public charitable trust working from there itself. It has been wholly focused on improving the health, education and welfare of the people living in the villages surrounding vaidyagrama. It is the vision of Punarnava Ayurveda Trust to create a self sustaining community locally based on Ayurveda and Natural farming.

Towards achieving this vision, the Trust has initiated activities including free Ayurveda medical camps, eye camps, community lunch to the entire village once every month, Annam- a project where daily meals are provided to 100 old and destitute villagers from different villages, study centre at the village, lifestyle counseling, women empowerment by giving jobs to women in the Trust garden, kitchen and housekeeping.

Balagrama is another mission of the Trust… A children’s home to house 30 village children, orphans or children of single parents. It aims to be a ‘How to Live” school to train the children in vocational trades as well as traditional way of living and wellbeing. These children will then be ready to be the pillars of the self-sustaining communities.

The Lakshmigrama houses the over 35 native cows here, who are looked after amidst Vaidyagrama’s green premises, and it enhances the healing ambience; just like Natural farming is also a significant feature in the concept, where the effort is towards self sustainability, that too in the natural Ayurveda way.

One can see the concepts of Nivrittigrama also coming true in the premises, where community living can make the golden old age era of life more meaningful and complete.

The shrine of Lord Dhanwantari enhances the healing energy of this temple of helIng – Vaidyagrama! The Divine Energy of healing flows through the spaces, and its almost tangible for all seekers.

You are welcome to this Ayurveda family, where all wish to be living by the mission of LIVE SIMPLE: LIVE WELL: LIVE HEALTHY: LIVE HAPPY!