Itty Achudan
Encyclopedia
Itty Achudan Vaidyan, who is known to have lived during the second half of the 17th century, was a distinguished Ayurvedic physician, from the ancient Kollatt family of traditional Ezhava
Ayurvedic Vaidyans (doctors) of Kerala. The Kollatt family are natives of Kadakkarapally, a coastal village, north-west of Cherthala
town, in Kerala
, South India
.
, the botanical treatise on the medicinal properties of flora of 17th century Malabar (present day Kerala). The book was compiled by the Dutch Governor of Malabar, Hendrik van Rheede
, and published posthumously in Amsterdam between 1678 and 1693.
The ethno-medical information presented in Hortus Malabaricus was extracted from palm-leaf manuscripts maintained by Itty Achudan Vaidyan, who was introduced to Henrik van Rheede by Veera Kerala Varma the then ruler of the erstwhile state of Kochi.
Volume 1 of the Hortus Malabaricus contains an original note by Itty Achudan, dated 20 April 1675, in which he describes his contribution to the work.
Itty Achudan Vaidyan is credited with having dictated the material, in his native Malayalam language, which was then translated into Latin. Part of the botanical information was scrutinized by three Konkani
Brahmanas, Appu Bhat, Vinayaka Pandit and Ranga Bhat, and compared to a Sanskrit textbook which they possessed by name “Manhanighantanam” (i.e., Sanskrit Mahānighaṇṭu, meaning "the great lexicon") followed by a process of thorough verification, discussion with other scholars and general agreement. However, as the “Manhanighantanam” was not specifically a text covering all the flora of Malabar, the role of the three verifiers is believed to have been limited to those entries that were covered by the “Manhanighantanam”.
and botany
taxonomist Professor K. S. Manilal
, of Kozhikode
, devoted over 35 years of focused research, translation and annotation work of the Latin
Hortus Malabaricus
(original title of the book is Hortus Malabaricus, continens Regni Malabarici apud Indos celeberrimi omnis generis Plantas rariores); an epic effort, which primarily brought to light the main contents of the book, a wealth of botanical information on Malabar that had remained largely inaccessible to English speaking scholars, because the entire text was in the Latin language. Professor Manilal’s work is also of historic and socio-cultural importance, as it brought insights into the life and times of Itty Achudan and Ezhavas of 17th century Malabar (broadly Kerala
) society.
The life of Itty Achudan Vaidyan and the Kollat family tradition was largely unknown to the world outside the Kollat family, elders and ancestors, until Professor K. S. Manilal translated with high precision the entire text of Hortus Malabaricus, including the accreditations in the book to Itty Achudan Vaidyan; and Itty Achudan Vaidyan’s own hand written testimonial included in the book in old Malayalam graphic print.
In 1996 Professor K. S. Manilal also authored a separate book in the Malayalam language; the title which translates as A Study on the Role of Itty Achuden in the Compilation of Hortus Malabaricus.This book was the result of specific additional research undertaken by Professor K. S. Manilal with the objective of collecting factual evidence and clarifying various misconceptions, about the original Hortus Malabaricus, that had crept in through the news media. This book focuses on clarifying matters, such as, the number of pages per volume, the number of pictures, the publication date of the first volume, the publication date of the twelfth volume, and most importantly about the roles played by Itty Achudan and others associated with assisting Hendrik van Rheede with the compilation of Hortus Malabaricus.
Although none of the Kollatt family members today continue the profession of ayurvedic medicine, the Kollatt family house at Kadakkarapally still has an ancient vilakku-maadam (lamp house) maintained, over the centuries, in honour of Itty Achudan Vaidyan. The family home also has remains of a grove (kaavu) including ancient trees and medicinal plants.
The Kollatt family's and Itty Achudan Vaidyan's ethno-medical knowledge legacy remains mostly within the contents of Hortus Malabaricus, which is now translated into the English and Malayalam languages by Professor K. S. Manilal (although the Malayalam version remains to be published).
immortalized Itty Achudan Vaidyan by naming a genus of plants Achudemia
, which has now been included under Pilea (Urticaceae
).
authorities announced that, in honour of Itty Achudan Vaidyan, a portion of Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute in Thiruvananthapuram
would be set aside to introduce plants listed in Hortus Malabaricus.
Ezhava
The Ezhavas are a community with origins in the region presently known as Kerala. They are also known as Ilhava, Irava, Izhava and Erava in the south of the region; as Chovas, Chokons and Chogons in Central Travancore; and as Tiyyas, Thiyas and Theeyas in Malabar...
Ayurvedic Vaidyans (doctors) of Kerala. The Kollatt family are natives of Kadakkarapally, a coastal village, north-west of Cherthala
Cherthala
Cherthala is a town located in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. It is located 30 km south of the city of Kochi and 22 km north of Alappuzha town, on the Kochi-Alappuzha streatch of both the National Highway 47 as well as the costal Rail-route.lt is 85 km from the...
town, in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
.
Contributions to Hortus Malabaricus
Itty Achudan Vaidyan was the major contributor of ethno-medical information for the compilaiton of Hortus MalabaricusHortus Malabaricus
Hortus Malabaricus is a comprehensive treatise that deals with the medicinal properties of the flora in the Indian state of Kerala. Originally written in Latin, it was compiled over a period of nearly 30 years and published from Amsterdam during 1678-1693. The book was conceived by Hendrik van...
, the botanical treatise on the medicinal properties of flora of 17th century Malabar (present day Kerala). The book was compiled by the Dutch Governor of Malabar, Hendrik van Rheede
Hendrik van Rheede
Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Drakenstein was a military man and a colonial administrator of the Dutch East India Company and naturalist. Between 1670 and 1677 he served as a governor of Dutch Malabar and employed 25 people on his book Hortus Malabaricus, describing 740 plants in the region...
, and published posthumously in Amsterdam between 1678 and 1693.
The ethno-medical information presented in Hortus Malabaricus was extracted from palm-leaf manuscripts maintained by Itty Achudan Vaidyan, who was introduced to Henrik van Rheede by Veera Kerala Varma the then ruler of the erstwhile state of Kochi.
Volume 1 of the Hortus Malabaricus contains an original note by Itty Achudan, dated 20 April 1675, in which he describes his contribution to the work.
Itty Achudan Vaidyan is credited with having dictated the material, in his native Malayalam language, which was then translated into Latin. Part of the botanical information was scrutinized by three Konkani
Konkani people
Konkani people , form a group of people mainly found in the Konkan Coast of western India whose mother-tongue is the Konkani language....
Brahmanas, Appu Bhat, Vinayaka Pandit and Ranga Bhat, and compared to a Sanskrit textbook which they possessed by name “Manhanighantanam” (i.e., Sanskrit Mahānighaṇṭu, meaning "the great lexicon") followed by a process of thorough verification, discussion with other scholars and general agreement. However, as the “Manhanighantanam” was not specifically a text covering all the flora of Malabar, the role of the three verifiers is believed to have been limited to those entries that were covered by the “Manhanighantanam”.
Kollatt family tradition
Historically the head medical practitioner of the Kollatt family was known as Kollatt Vaidyan. When a Kollatt Vaidyan died, his practice and title was inherited by his eldest son. The Kollatt Vaidyans maintained a family medical chronicle consisting of several volumes of palm-leaf manuscripts in Malayalam Kolezhuthu script. In these manuscripts were recorded names of medicinal plants, methods of preparation and application of drugs and the illnesses for which they were used. The Kollat family chronicle is said to have served as a compendium of ethno-medical knowledge, updated and enriched from time to time by recording the experiences of the individual incumbent Kollat Vaidyan.Research on Itty Achudan’s life
Calicut University EmeritusEmeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
and botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
taxonomist Professor K. S. Manilal
K. S. Manilal
Professor Kattungal Subramaniam Manilal, of Kozhikode, is an Emeritus of the Calicut University, a botany scholar and taxonomist, who devoted over 35 years of his life to research, translation and annotation work of the Latin botanical treatise Hortus Malabaricus...
, of Kozhikode
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
, devoted over 35 years of focused research, translation and annotation work of the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Hortus Malabaricus
Hortus Malabaricus
Hortus Malabaricus is a comprehensive treatise that deals with the medicinal properties of the flora in the Indian state of Kerala. Originally written in Latin, it was compiled over a period of nearly 30 years and published from Amsterdam during 1678-1693. The book was conceived by Hendrik van...
(original title of the book is Hortus Malabaricus, continens Regni Malabarici apud Indos celeberrimi omnis generis Plantas rariores); an epic effort, which primarily brought to light the main contents of the book, a wealth of botanical information on Malabar that had remained largely inaccessible to English speaking scholars, because the entire text was in the Latin language. Professor Manilal’s work is also of historic and socio-cultural importance, as it brought insights into the life and times of Itty Achudan and Ezhavas of 17th century Malabar (broadly Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
) society.
The life of Itty Achudan Vaidyan and the Kollat family tradition was largely unknown to the world outside the Kollat family, elders and ancestors, until Professor K. S. Manilal translated with high precision the entire text of Hortus Malabaricus, including the accreditations in the book to Itty Achudan Vaidyan; and Itty Achudan Vaidyan’s own hand written testimonial included in the book in old Malayalam graphic print.
In 1996 Professor K. S. Manilal also authored a separate book in the Malayalam language; the title which translates as A Study on the Role of Itty Achuden in the Compilation of Hortus Malabaricus.This book was the result of specific additional research undertaken by Professor K. S. Manilal with the objective of collecting factual evidence and clarifying various misconceptions, about the original Hortus Malabaricus, that had crept in through the news media. This book focuses on clarifying matters, such as, the number of pages per volume, the number of pictures, the publication date of the first volume, the publication date of the twelfth volume, and most importantly about the roles played by Itty Achudan and others associated with assisting Hendrik van Rheede with the compilation of Hortus Malabaricus.
Remnants of Itty Achudan's life
The Kollatt family's and Itty Achudan Vaidyan's ethno-medical knowledge legacy remains mostly within the contents of Hortus Malabaricus, which is now translated into the English and Malayalam languages by Professor K. S. Manilal (although the Malayalam version remains to be published).
Historical honours
During the 19th century, as a mark of respect Carl Ludwig BlumeCarl Ludwig Blume
Charles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume was a German-Dutch botanist.He was born at Braunschweig in Germany, but studied at Leiden University and spent his professional life working in the Dutch East Indies and in the Netherlands, where he was Director of the Rijksherbarium at Leiden...
immortalized Itty Achudan Vaidyan by naming a genus of plants Achudemia
Achudemia
Achudemia is a genus of plants belonging to the family Urticaceae. It is sometimes also treated as a section of the genus Pilea....
, which has now been included under Pilea (Urticaceae
Urticaceae
Urticaceae, or the nettle family, is a family of flowering plants. The family name comes from the genus Urtica . Urticaceae includes a number of well-known and useful plants, including the aforementioned nettles, Ramie , māmaki , and ajlai .The family includes approximately 2600 species, grouped...
).
Recent honours
Over the last two decades, the Kollat family members have set up a socio-charitable trust in honour of Itty Achudan Vaidyan. The Government of KeralaGovernment of Kerala
The Government of Kerala is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Kerala, India for a period of 5 years. The state government is headed by the Governor of Kerala as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister as real head of the executive. The state...
authorities announced that, in honour of Itty Achudan Vaidyan, a portion of Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
would be set aside to introduce plants listed in Hortus Malabaricus.