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"Ayurveda, Jainism amd Medical Tourism - A Study in Interrelationship"
Partha Bhandari
Tourism, in its different forms has been one of the most vital and essential human activities, which promotes mutual understanding and social harmony, in the true spirit of "Vasudhaiva kutumbakam” i.e. the world is a family. Tourism starts with travel and travel brings movement and socio-cultural interactions. Through the promotion of tourism we can move forward to achieve the goal of World Peace and Wellness of all. In Indian context in every social and religious activity like marriage, pilgrimage and performance of rituals, including Samskāras, we can easily find the spirit of tourism and inherent healthcare both, mental and physical. Today, tourism is well defined human activity, which imbibes the spirit of socio-cultural interaction, wellness and healthcare of the masses through different means of tourism based on the choices and destinations. The indirect benefit to the health predominates every act of tourism. When a person or group of persons of the same or different interest and component moves out of their usual place of residence for visiting either historical places, heritage sites, hill stations, sea beach areas, rural places, health is always one of the prime concern. From ancient times people used to travel for acquiring or sustaining good health. Ayurveda or Prāṇāvāya (the science of life and longevity) in Jainism has been a potent way of therapy for the diagnosis, prevention and also medical treatment of various ailments and if needed, undertaking surgery as well. It deals not only with the physical well being of a person but also with spiritual, mental and social health of individuals - a concept now established and accepted even by modern medicine. We have both the tradition and history of Ayurveda in the literary works including those of Caraka in Caraka Samhitā and Suśruta in Suśruta Samhita of Kuṣāna-Gupta period.
