Overview
A lavishly furnished and flawlessly decorated village resort, called the Birds Lagoon resort in Ernakulum is a fantastic place to visit. A tempting yet comfortable location for an enjoyable stay in these cottages is hard to resist.
A cultural environment with all sorts of modern amenities in well-furnished cottages send a feeling of tranquillity all around. The natural ventilation, telephone as well as television facilities render a traditional style to the cottages.
Facilities
The various facilities at Birds Lagoon are inclusive of ‘Erumadom’ also known as the tree house, fully- furnished authentically styled cottages, provision for ‘marma chikilsa’ (massage and oil therapy) as well as facilities for boat rides. The multi-cuisine restaurant, Ayurvedic rejuvenation center, Utility shop, spacious car park, the barbecue and also the Conference hall help in drawing more tourists to the resort.
Ayurveda
Thattekkad’s climate is best suited for ayurvedic treatments according to the primitive scripts. It lies on the ayurvedic theory of living on the norms of nature and thereby being gifted by it. The entire design of the place is done based on the conservation of nature. The tribal hut or ‘Adhivasikudil’ is used for oil therapy and massages with special focus on ‘marma chikilsa’. Ancient ponds or ‘Ambalakulam’ is associated with temples. Separate balconies render the feel of the rural areas. For organizing conferences and parties there is the provision for a basement with special ventilation.
Panchakarma Therapies
Ayurveda consists of two theories of disease management namely Shamana and Shodhana. Five different Ayurvedic techniques directed at eradicating the main cause of the illness or 'Shodhana' are termed as the Panchakarma. Karma denoting action while Pancha meaning five defines Panchakarma. Apart from the eradication of disease-causing toxins, Panchakarma is also used to refill the tissues with nourishment. Thus it is often referred to Rejuvenation therapy.
The five actions of Panchakarma according to the Charaka school include:
- Nirooha Vasti (enema with herbal decoction)
- Vamana (emesis therapy)
- Anuvasana Vasti (therapeutic enema with medicated oil)
- Virechana (purgation therapy)
- Nasya (errhine therapy)
Keeping in mind that the vitiated blood could lead to certain diseases, the two prime categories of Vasti as a result of which were combined into one category and Raktamokshana or eliminating the vitiated blood was added up as the fifth division of Panchakarma.The procedures required to undertake the Panchakarma therapies, is called the Purvakarma. The post-treatment care that includes the dos and don'ts and diet charts is called the Paschatkarma. Purvakarma is widely divided into three procedures:-
Swedana, Pachana and Snehana. The patients are given Pachana or digestion drugs to help for digesting the indigested food material.
Snehana or oiling is executed in two ways. In Bahya Snehana or external oilation, oils prepared from herbs are massaged all over the body. These saturate the body and help liquefy amam present in the srotas or body channels. The main types are Abhyanga Snana (rubbing medicated oil over the entire body and taking bath after a while), Pichu (folded piece of cloth soaked in oil used to cover the crown) and Shiro abhyanga (is the simple process of applying oil on the head before taking a bath). In Abhyanthara Snehana (Internal oilation) medicated ghee (ghruta) is ingested to liquefy the amam in the various srotas (body channels) of the system. This is also called Snehapana.
Swedana (Induction of Sweating / Sudation) helps to dilate the body's srotas or channels for the removal of toxins, which are transported to the bowels. From there, the Panchakarmas can effectively eliminate them.The various Swedana (sweating) methods in vogue include:
- Ooshmasweda / Bashpasweda : using steam from water, sitting inside a steam box, with only the head outside.
- Pindasweda / Navarakizhi : hot applications using kizhi, a special type a bundle of linen filled with a bolus of shastika or navara rice that has been cooked with milk and herbal decoction is used for fomentation.
- Upanahasweda : the poultice of herbal paste tied on parts of the body.
- Nalisweda : applying steam of boiling herbal decoction through a tube.
- Avagahasweda : immersing body parts in oils or herbal decoctions.
- Podikizhi / Churnasweda - hot applications using a special type a bundle of linen filled with a bolus of powders cooked with herbal oils.
- Patrasweda : hot applications using a special type a bundle of linen filled with a bolus of herbal leaves cooked with herbal oils used for fomentation.
- Dhara : the process of pouring medicated liquid over the patient's body. They are three kinds depending on the medicine used: Ksheeradhara (with milk mixed with a medicated decoction), Snehadhara (with various medicated oils) and Takradhara (with buttermilk mixed with a medical decoction, very effective for treating diseases affecting the head, eyes, for chronic sinusitis and some cases of insanity)
Dhara consists of two main categories:
- Sarvangadhara / Pizhichil: The procedure of pouring oil over the whole body with simultaneous massaging. Good for treating hemiplegia, paralysis, muscle spasms and other degenerative diseases affecting muscles. Could be of two types- Dhara over the whole body except the head and Dhara over the whole body including the head.
- Sirodhara: Warm oil made to spill on the forehead. Recent researches show that this therapy induces vasodilatation within the brain, enabling increased flow of oxygen to the brain and nourishing the nervous system.
The Pentad of Panchakarma is inclusive of:
- Vamana or therapeutic emesis is a purification process intended mainly for the expulsion of vitiated Kapha. This is a painless, drug induced emetic process. Vamana cures diseases like acne, asthma, chronic cough and cold, allergies, diabetes and various other Kapha disorders and should not be performed on children, old or weak people, pregnant women and those suffering from hepatitis or tuberculosis.
Purvakarma: The first stage of Purvakarma includes external and internal oilation and then sweating, which mobilizes the toxins to be thrown out during the Panchakarma from the koshta (stomach).
Pradhanakarma: The night before staring the Pradhanakarma, the patient is given Kapha exciting food. The next morning, the patient is given some medicines that promote watery secretion. After this, the patient is given herbal emetic.. After half an hour, the patient starts to vomit. To stimulate further vomiting, he is given warm diluted milk at intervals. The patient should be gently massaged up with upward strokes around the navel and downward strokes on his back. Once the stomach becomes empty, the vomiting wills automatically stops.
Paschatkarma: the patient is made to inhale medicated smoke (Dhoomapana) and also to gargle and then made to take complete rest.
- Virechana or Purgation Therapy is good for diabetes, colitis, jaundice, spleen enlargement, arthritis, skin diseases and other intestinal disorders. This therapy is not advisable for infants, the old and pregnant women.
Purvakarma: Oilation and Sudation therapies form the pre processes.
Pradhanakarma: The usual practice is to give the herbal purgatives around 6 am in the morning. The dose of the drug is determined according to the patient's constitution. The process of purgation will normally start within two hours of taking the purgatives. Drinking hot water also acts as a stimulant. The fecal discharge turns fluid after seven or eight bowel movements. First the feces, then the toxic Pitta and finally toxic Kapha are discharged.
Paschatkarma: The patient is only gradually brought back into the regular dietary habits aft6er going through periods of light foods.
- Nasya or Errhine Therapy is the application of medical oils or powders through the nostrils and is an important method of treatment for illness of the head region since Nostrils are the doorways to the brain. Types of Nasya are:
- Brumhana Nasya : A nourishing Nasya using medicated oils, Juices of herbs and so on that nourish the tissues are used.
- Dhamana Nasya : The medicine insufflated into the nostrils is powder (Churna) and not fluids.
- Virechana Nasya : A purification Nasya with medicated lubricants like oil, ghee, various herbal decoctions or honey
- Shamana Nasya : Demulcents in small dose are used for this palliative therapy to bring immediate relief.
The Process: The forehead and the neck region of the patient are gently massaged with suitable oil and sweating is induced. Thereafter the patient is made to lie down on his back with his head slightly bent back. Warm medication is then dripped into both nostrils that the patient draws in.
After the treatment, the throat, cheeks and forehead are massaged softly. Gandusha (gargle) is also advisable as a measure of post-treatment care.
Benefits of Nasya: Kapha related toxins from the Para nasal sinuses are eliminated giving great relief in the head and clarity of the sense organs and the region nourished. Breathing becomes completely unobstructed which gives sound sleep at night. Olfactory improvement is also felt.
Nasya is excellent for chronic sinusitis, headache, throat diseases, epilepsy, catarrh, migraine, voice problems, eye diseases and cervical sodalities.
Marsha Nasya Uses higher dosages like six, eight or ten drops of the medications whereas in the case of Pratimarsha Nasya the dosage is usually two to three drops in each nostril.
- Vasti or the therapeutic Enema is good for spleen disorders, colic, calculus, kidney stones and many other diseases due to a Vata disorder but not to be used in diabetes, piles, hiccups, obesity and injuries to the anus.
As with all the other Panchakarma purification procedures, here also oil and sweat therapies are essential. After this, lukewarm and freshly prepared Vasti liquid is injected into the colon via the rectum.
Nirooha vasthi is carried out using herbal decoctions, discharges fluid that contains toxins along with the fecal matter. While Anuvasana Vasti is carried out using oils and it nourishes and strengthens the colon.
The different types of Vasthi according to the Duration of Treatment are
- Yoga Vasti – treatment duration of 8 days,
- Kala Vasti - treatment duration of 15 days, and
- Karma Vasti - treatment duration of 30 days.
Vastis based on the Herbal Compounds used are:
- Vajeekarana or Rasayana Vasti : Using Aphrodisiac and rejuvenating herbs promoting sexual vitality and vigor and treats Infertility,
- Lekhana Vasti : This also purges but the dose is stronger,
- Brumhana Vasti : A nourishing Vasti using herbs that nourish,
- Shamana Vasti : Palliative using drugs that are demulcents,
- Shodhana Vasti : the decoction prepared with herbs that act as purging agents. Elimination of toxins from the body is its main function. Madhu Thailikam is the Shodhana Vasti where honey and oil are used.
Other Special Vastis are:
Matra Vasti: A Anuvasana using very small quantity of medicated oil not more than four ounces. No regulations are necessary. This therapy, which acts as a good vitaliser, can be performed regularly after meals and is extremely invigorating to those emaciated by overwork or those who indulge in excessive sex; and
Uttara Vasti: The medicated oil is introduced through the vagina and cervix in females and through the penis and urethra in males for treating certain diseases of the genito-urinary system
Raktamokshana (Bloodletting)
According to Sushruta, certain diseases are caused by vitiation of blood, which could be effectively treated by letting out the vitiated blood through surgical venesection called Raktamokshana. Subsequently the Sushruta school of thought combined the two Vastis - oil and decoction - into one and added Raktamokshana as the fifth category of the Panchakarma.
Other Important Treatments:
Netravasti or Akshi tarpana: By this method along with the medicated oil, a particular amount of flour is pasted and applied around the eyes.
Shirovasti: This method utilizes a typical technique for treatment of earache as well as cataract; treating head disorders, as well as cranial nerve complaints. A leather cap of about six to eight inches high is rested on the patient’s shaven head and tied up. The kneaded dough would help in creating a line within the cap. Oil is poured into the cap and allowed to rest over the head for some time.
Udwartana: Finely dried and powdered herbal powder or churna with medicinal oils is used to massage the patient. The dry massage is effective for treating rheumatoid arthritis and obesity while the oily massage helps in curing varieties of nervous disorders. This therapy uses a stroking motion during the massage directed upwards or towards the heart.
Urovasti: This sort of treatment is administered on the chest. It is performed by placing a small tank of dough on the chest, around the sternum region. Then the medicated oil is poured into it and allowed to rest for a particular period. One is relieved of the pain on this area by this treatment.
Talam: It is the procedure by which medicated paste is applied on the crown of the head.
Kativasti: Oil is poured into a dam of black gram dough made on the lumbo-sacral region and kept there for a particular time interval. This method is used to cure pains of the lower back.
Talapothichil: Used to cure ailments of head, the crown of the head is kept covered with gooseberry paste in buttermilk, for a specific period.
Lepana: This procedure utilizes the theory of external application of medicated paste on the affected portion of the body. It is recommended for several types of pains leading to inflammatory conditions.
Karnapoorana: Medicated oils are poured into the ears through this method. It is used for curing Deafness, Otorrhea as well as Tinnitus.
Cuisine
The resort specializes in traditional and authentic food of Kerala. There is a vegetable garden within the resort. So there is no dearth of fresh vegetables for preparing tasty dishes which are in turn flavoured by freshly powdered spices from the restaurant kitchen. Guests can even opt for vegetables that they wish to be prepared from the garden. The menu consists of non-vegetarian recipes as well. The visitors might also try out their hands in fishing which thereafter might be cooked by the chefs. Recipes like the traditional ‘Meenvattichathu’ (fish in red chilly sauce), ‘Puttu and Kadala’, mixed vegetable gravy dish with coconut and yoghurt, ‘Kappa and Meenucurry’ (tapioca and fish curry)’ as well as stew made of chicken and potatoes would surely relish one’s taste buds.
Accommodation
Ethnically decorated and well-furnished cottages of Bird’s Lagoon seem to attract the visitors seeking solace in the village resort. Modern amenities blended with traditional Kerala architecture provide that cultural yet elegant feel. A widely spacious area of the resort premises gives one ample of free space to enjoy the beauty of nature.
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