Cholayil Kunjumami Vaidyar, once known all over India by the pet name Modern Dhanvanthari, was a wonderful personality in the field of medicine. He was a unique patriarch who taught the Science of Ayurveda, as an act of penance, to more than a thousand aspirants. A great scholar and a very popular doctor, Kunjumami Vaidyar shined like Brihaspathy (Teacher of the Gods in Hindu mythology) in medical science, and paralleled 'Ashvini Devas' (The famed twin physicians to the

Gods in Hinduism) in the field of ayurvedic medical practice; for many people he sembled God.

Doctors and laymen used to say alike that there wasn't and there won't be anyone equal to this Modern Dhanvanthari who worked, many miracles in the field of medical practice.

Kunjumami was born on a Tuesday night, 15 December, 1865 (1040 Vrichikam 18 ) in the astrological sign 'Chothi' as the first-born of Raman Vaidyar, a reputed Eye Specialist who hailed from the Vaalipparambil ancestral home in Kazhumbram, Kerala, South India . Raman Vaidyar had named his son after his father, Kunjumami and had taught his son the preliminaries of Sanskrit and the Science of Ayurveda at a very early age; later he sent his son to learn medicine from the world-famous, Pokkancheri Chandu Vaidyar, his relative. Apart from mastering all that pertains to Medicine from Chandu Vaidyar, he also gained an exhaustive practical experience. During the tenure of learning, which stretched for many years, Kunjumami Vaidyar, it is said, had conducted many miraculous feats of medical practice.

After his return from Pokkancheri, Kunjumami Vaidyar started medical practice in his native place. Gradually, working many miracles in medical practice, he became the most sought after doctor in Kerala and people believed that there is no disease, which cannot be cured if one went to Kunjumami Vaidyar. At a time when travel facilities were meager, this great doctor had travelled for professional reasons, to places like Kochi, Travancore, Malabar, Madras and Ceylon. At those times, nobody in India would have travelled so extensively for purposes of treating patients.

Kunjumami Vaidyar was a virtuous man and never aspired fame and high positions.

A great pundit of 'Ashtangam'(Ashtangam is a system of Yoga which involves synchronizing the breath with progressive series of postures - a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies the body.), this great doctor was an expert in 'Panchakarma' and Chemistry. For the same reason he had easily cured many diseases the science had adjudged irrepairable.

Extending educational opportunities to the children of his native land, he established a school, which was initially known as Kazhumbram School and later named Vaalipparambil Paru Memorial UP School, Kazhumpram, Kerala. Then the school was given to Shri Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) as donation and now it is known as VPMSNDP Higher Secondary School, Kazhumbram.

A benevolent man he was, the doctor used to donate cash to the destitutes, irrespective of caste or creed, to erase their misery. Many doctors in Kerala used to solve their medical ambiguities and doubts interacting with Kunjumami Vaidyar. Though this doctor of repute desired to start a Hospital and an Ayurvedic College with modern amenities, unfortunately, he could not make it happen.

Within his very busy schedules this renowned scholar had translated many books like Thirukkural, Vruthi Prabhakaram, Vichaara Chandrodayam and Atmabodham from Tamil to Malayalam. His other published works are Narajanmoddeshyam, Vishoochika Sudarshanam and Saamoohya Prarthana apart from a detailed interpretation of Ayushkaameeyam, the first chapter of Ashtanga Hridaya. His works - Vedantha Saaram, Rasathanthram, Atmavichaaram (Logic), Chikithsanottukal, Shri Kunjumami Samhitha, Ushanirudha Manipravaala Kavyam, Narada Yadava Samvaadam are not published. Kunjumami Vaidyar chaired many conferences on Ayurveda, which were conducted at Travancore, and rendered many enlightening discourses.

He handled efficiently all the Astangas (eight branches of Ayurvedic treatment) when most of the renowned Vaidyas in those days were specialized only in certain types of diseases.

There were known incidents where the Cholayil Kunjimami Vaidyar cured Sannipathajwaram (the worst form of fever) by just giving the juices of some medicinal leaves he plucked from the way side.

In a period when Leprosy was considered a curse from the Gods and treating Leprosy was a sin and Leprosy had any known cure, he treated a Leprosy pataient from Alleppy allowing him to stay in his house till he was completely cured.

In another incident Cholayil Kunjimami Vaidyar treated a Rabies affected person using Cobra venom and cured him.

Kunjumami Vaidyar was the trusted and endeared doctor of Shri Narayana Guru, who ranks among the greatest spiritual luminaries of India. Shri Narayana Guru was a saint and social reformer, who overturned the entire social system of Kerala. The apostle of social equality, the Guru had preached - 'One caste, one religion and one God for mankind.'

Shri Narayana Guru himself had approached the doctor for medical treatment and having understood his boundless medical skills, the Swamy had guided many people, many times to learn medicine from Kunjumami Vaidyar. Later, more than a thousand from Kochi, Travancore and Malabar had become luminaries in the community, learning the Science of Ayurveda. Kunjumami Vaidyar had published poems about his spiritual guru, Swami Shri Narayana Guru, in many newspapers.

Shri Narayana Guru spoke thus about Kunjumami's flair of medical mastery:

After his mother's demise in 1928, Kunjumami Vaidyar relinquished his house, established a hermitage in Edamuttom and became a Seer. On Tuesday, 3 March 1933, the great man breathed his last.

Shri Shankaran Vaidyar was born on 14 November,1889 as the first son of Cholayil Kunjmami Vaidyar. Shankaran Vaidyar was the mirror image of his father, calm and helpful as he was and very intelligent in his studies. After his school education he turned to master Ayurveda and his father Kunjumami Vaidyar himself was his Guru. After that, to amass knowledge of modern medicine, he lived 5 years in Palakkad, Kerala with Rao Bahadoor Dr.Krishnan and gained acquaintance.

After his son began to show expertise in medical practice, Kunjumami Vaidyar started visiting far off places and concentrate more on treating complicated ailments.

In the absence of his father, Shri Shankaran Vaidyar took up the responsibility of educating his pupils, without accepting any payback for his efforts. Moreover, for practical experience many doctors from afar places came to him regularly. He had donated money, and even dwelling houses for needy patients apart from free medical services.

He never maintained any partiality as to caste, creed or economic limits and always served the patients without avarice. He had cured many diseases with small medicines where allopathic doctors had failed, and won their respect.

In those times where travel facilities were very limited, without caring about his own health, it was routine for him to travel long distances to treat patients. He had traveled to Chennai, TamilNadu and Kancheepuram, TamilNadu for this.

A staunch disciple of Shri Narayana Guru , he had treated many disciples of the Guru. After the demise of his father, Shankaran Vaidyar built a memorial and founded his clinic there and conducted free medical service for poor patients there.

In 1939 Sankaran Vaidyar successfully treated Rev. Joseph Nedinchira, O.S.H. Sacred Heart Mount, Kottayam for an ENT problem which had no known cure in the Modern medicine with simple ayurvedic medicines and oil.

Sankaran Vaidyar also successfully treated Fr.Thomas Tarayil, the then Bishop of Kottayam for Arthritics after unsuccessful treatment by many modern doctors.

In 1945 Shankaran Vaidyar started a clinic in Kattoor near Irinjalakkuda, Kerala for his traveling convenience and carried on treating patients there.

In 1950 Mr.Kesavan Master, the father of Dr.P.K.Gopalakrishnan then Planning Secretary of Govt. of Kerala was down with fever and developed non-stop hiccups. It was Sankaran Vaidyar who stopped it in no time giving him ayurvedic pills in some herbal leave juice.

In November 1951 he became bed ridden and breathed his last on 30 January 1952.

The second son of the famous Cholayil Kujumami Vaidyar, Shri Manikyan, born on 20 April 1894 was known as K.M. Vaidyar, and also with a pet name as Appu Vaidyar. Though he started talking only in his 5th year, Appu Vaidyar became a great 'Pundit'.
After having learned Ayurveda from his father, he left for Madras in 1914 to learn more and stayed there for three years. While he was student, he used to interpret many topics relating to Ayurveda in an awesome manner, and after his return from Madras K.M. Vaidyar stayed in Palakkad with Rao Bahadur Dr. Krishnan and learned more about modern medicine and surgery.

Between 1920 to 1948 he had worked hard to publish a Sanskrit - Malayalam dictionary named 'Nighandu Manikyan'. He had later written and published Chintamagnayaya Yasodhara (Pondering Yosudhara) a poem, various books and translations like Thiyya Samudayam (Thiyya Society), Jyothisha sangithikam, Vrithavilasam etc. Apart from this he had written many articles relating to medical practice.

It is a sad fact K. M. Vaidyar, a reputed Sanskrit Pundit, an appealing extrovert, learned guru, poet and author, social reformist and a high graded visionary in the science of Ayurveda was never given praise and position he deserved. A man who treated many a fatal disease easily with small medicines, he wrote two pertinent books related to medicine - Sriman Manikya Bhishaguara Soukalitha Ashtanga Hriduya Kosha and Sriman Manikya Bhishaguara Soukalitha Therayee Kosha. The words in Ashtanga Hridaya and other books namely, Charakam. Sushrutham, Ashtanga Sangraham, and their simple meanings in Malayalam are very helpful for the practitioners and students of Ayurveda.

Though Appu Vaidyar had worked many a miracle in the field of medical treatment, he had extraordinary dexterity in the treatment of Pancha Karma (Pancha Karma is a treatment technique in Ayurveda). A very good orator as he was, one of his 5-minutes fast wrap-up had to be extended to a 35-minutes enlightening discourse on Ayurveda, pursuant to the special request of the audience and the president at the Ayurveda conference held in Colombo, SriLanka. Grand Poet Kunjukuttan Thampuran was among those who respected the knowledge of K.M. Vaidyar. In his early life he was an atheist but later for quite sometime he lived following Buddhism.

An expert in the field of pharmaceutical manufacture, Appu Vaidyar had worked many wonders. Once he had prepared an Ayurvedic decoction in Ceylon. After preserving it in a bottle he had returned home and again went came back to Ceylon after 6 months to hear from his astonished followers that the warmth of the decoction had never abated. He had added some rare and discreet medicinal herbs to attain the effect.

Mr.Gopalakrishnan Chettiar of Bhavani, Tamilnadu was suffering from a rare kind of disease. He had swelling in all joints of the body and was bedridden. K.M.Vaidyar went to his house at Bhavani and treated for few days and brought him to Kerala and treated him with preparations using the meat of Monitor Lizard and also Pancha Karma. He was cured of his disease in 3 months time.

Once he treated a Retd. Dy. Collector from Trichur, Kerala for a long standing severe skin problem with a 7 course simple medicine which was then costing only 9 paise per course.

He treated Mr.Koyamban Mappilai from Engandiyur, Trichur who was fully paralyzed due to a stroke with 'Panchakarma' and the patient was able to walk within a short time.

In July, 1954 while preparing medicine for a patient, Shri. KM Vaidyar left this world. There are many who still remember with respect this acclaimed doctor's name.