By Frances Bulathsinghala/Sunday Observer
Colombo, September 26: The Sinhala Weda Uruma Baraya, a collective of Sri Lankan professionals and traditional physicians promoting Deshiya Chikitsa (Sinhala Wedakama) as part of Sri Lankan Ayurveda has commenced a pioneering residential Sinhala Wedakam based COVID19 treatment centre in Sri Lanka. The treatment centre which uses the expertise of an island-wide panel of over 25 wedamahattayas/weda nonas is located within the Heritage Eco Resort which is a 4-star hotel situated down Jayanthi Mawatha, Peliyagoda, Kelaniya. The treatment centre is named the Lak Suwa Sahana Maha Weda Gedera; a place of peace, healing and knowledge of how our ancients lived well and happy.
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The treatment centre at this hotel was formally launched under the auspices of the State Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Rural and Ayurveda Hospital Development and Community Health in early September and from the launch day alone registered 5 in-house patients.
This writer has chosen to use the term ‘Doctor’ when referring to the indigenous physicians of Sri Lanka because they were the only ‘doctors’ this nation knew in its collected history of thousands of years until colonization and the modern Western science alongside the Pharmaceutical industry which gave a sense of Western science-based superiority to the term ‘Doctor’ and affixed it with career ambitions.
This pioneering initiative in Sri Lanka – the Lak Suwa Sahana Maha Weda Gedera, has already recorded what could be described as remarkable success with the curing of two COVID19 afflicted persons aged 90 and 95 years respectively. They had been transferred by their family members from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Allopathy medicine system to the traditional in house system in Kelaniya after the Allopathic system did not work for these patients. One of the close relatives of the 90-year-old patient who took the decision to opt for Sri Lankan Ayurveda/Sinhala Wedakama is a Western medical (Allopathy) doctor.
Giving hope to all Sri Lankans that Sinhala Wedakam (Deshiya Chikitsa)/Sri Lankan Ayurveda can be revived and that this pandemic time may be the best chance to showcase this ancient medical system to the world, the Weda Uruma Baraya initiative is likely to have lasting impact in Sri Lanka regaining its currently ignored roots. The COVID19 treating residential facility is open to both Sri Lankans and non Sri Lankans.
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Among the board of directors of this initiative is Lasantha Prasad Lokupitiya , a veteran environmentalist and business personality who is part of the Sinhala Weda Uruma Baraya.
“The idea to start the residential treatment centre was based on the Sinhala Weda Uruma Baraya contemplating about the calamity of COVID19 patients being sent to Western medicine treating government hospitals, facing serious bed shortages and other sanitary issues juxtaposed by the counter calamity of private Western medicine treating hospitals charging exorbitant rates per day,” explains Lasantha Lokupitiya.
He points out that what the Sinhala Weda Uruma Baraya has initiated is a health and relaxation-based endeavor deeply rooted in the ancient medicinal culture of Sri Lanka and located in the heart of the scenic and historic city of Kelaniya.
“This is a 4 star hotel which has all comforts and the full rate we are charging per day is inclusive of a patient-specific traditional diet based on recommendations by the wedamahattayas/weda nonas on our Sri Lankan Ayurveda medical panel. The charges do not exceed Rs. 10,000 per day which includes all per patient specialized traditional medicine treatment costs,’ says Lokupitiya. He points out that a totally free facility which will be akin to a government hospital ward currently followed for COVID will be also provided soon.
“In the current facility those who have contracted the COVID virus will be treated not as patients but as guests receiving an opportunity to rejuvenate themselves and rid themselves of all ailments, not just this particular virus.”
He explains that traditional physicians of Sri Lanka do not mystify this flu mimicking virus and see it as a semprathrishaya that weakens the immune system. He emphasizes that based on so many case studies in the past two years that traditional physicians of Sri Lanka can handle any complication arising out of this disease.
However he adds that those who come to get this residential treatment should be those who have faith in the medical heritage of Sri Lanka and not those who doubt it. If they want Western kind of treatment or technology connected with it they can go to Western medicine based hospitals,” he states. He emphasizes that the panel of indigenous doctors have proven within the last week that oxygen levels can be raised through traditional methods alone.
“In Sinhala Wedakama/Sri Lankan Ayurveda, the opportunity to relieve someone of their ailment is considered a Karmic boon. It is keeping this in mind that we decided to retain only an extremely small profit only for the maintaining of the rooms and hotel. We do not add onto the fee of the traditional physicians or keep profit from it. We have residential Sinhala Wedakam/Sri Lankan Ayurveda doctors (referred to in Sri Lanka as wedamahattayas) and indigenous health experts who visit based on request or health specification,” explains Lokupitiya.
This residential treatment centre has overall managers, a General Manager, nurses, and a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), collectively providing communication mainly in Sinhala but also in English to cater to all citizens of Sri Lanka and even foreigners. With regard to Sri Lankan citizens, anyone whether they be Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim or Burgher are welcome. The residential facility is a weda gedera and thereby run under Buddhist traditions and culture.
Among the Indigenous medical experts who make up the team of physicians affiliated with the Residential Treatment Centre in Kelaniya include Indigenous Sinhala Wedakam/Sri Lankan Ayurveda Doctor Mrs. Swarnachandra Hulangamuwa having more than 40 years of registered practice and with wide scale experience of treating patients who are often regarded as incurable. She and her son practices the Hulangamuwa tradition indigenous medical treatments. She and her son Indigenous Doctor Tharanga Hulangamuwa who have treated scores of patients of COVID19 prevention and cure, play a major role at this COVID19 treatment centre.
Among the other Sinhala Wedakam/Lankan Ayurveda experts affiliated with the Lak Suwa Sahana Maha Weda Gedera is Doctor H. M. Jayatilleke, a former Public Health Officer (PHI) who has studied Ayurveda from the Gampaha Wickremarachchi Ayurveda University. He has developed a range of herb based health treatments for different conditions of COVID19. He conducts an Ayurveda school.
Veteran Sri Lankan Ayurveda Doctor DD. Hettiarachchi of Ganemulla who was among the first to research and develop COVID19 specific medications exported to Italy last March to treat primarily Sri Lankan patients is among the expert indigenous medical panel of the Lak Suwa Sahana Maha Weda Gedera.
Sinhala Wedakam based researcher carrying the lineage family based wedakam knowledge, Doctor Lakman Embuldeniya who has developed the world’s first oral vaccine as in how ancient Ayurveda inspired Western Science doctors is among the expert panel. He has so far provided his oral vaccine to garment factories and has been approached by eight Western countries for obtaining it for controlling this COVID19 pandemic in those countries.
Also specifically affiliated with the residential medical facility treating COVID19 patients is indigenous medical practitioner Priyantha Dharmawansa Weda Mahattaya linked to the Nilakadi weda paramparawa and practices all the traditional practices of Deshiya Chikitsa (Sri Lankan Ayurveda). He has been practicing for over 30 years the family based inherited medical science of Sinhala Wedakam.
Indigenous medical practitioner and Sri Lankan Ayurveda Doctor. Sampath Kalutharage who has to date treated over 30,000 COVID19 patients and cured them within an average of 3 days is also part of the expert panel. He holds the knowledge of an inherited medical lineage and has trained under veteran Sinhala traditional medical practitioners and holds formal qualifications in Ayurveda from the Malawena Ayurveda Vidyalaya. His mother is a weda nona specializing in ancient Deshiya Chikitsa treatment for diseases of children.
Indigenous medical practitioner Ayurveda Doctor Seewali Bandara is yet another veteran expert in Sri Lankan Ayurveda treating and advising on the treatment of patients at the Kelaniya residential facility as required. He hails from the upcountry based Bandara weda paramparawaa and has received formal qualification of Rasa Wedakama in India. He is often called upon by those in foreign countries for carrying out treatments for ailments Allopathy cannot cure. He has developed specific treatments for COVID19 complications and for acute pneumonia. To date he has cured large number of COVID patients.
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Among the female Indigenous/Sri Lankan Ayurveda experts that treat patients at the residential medical facility is Doctor Dulari Mataraarachchi Wedamahathmiya who hails from the Kevitiyagala Jayasinghe wedaparapura from the father’s side and from the Kalumada lineage of indigenous physicians. Her formal Ayurveda qualification is from the Malawena Ayurveda Waidya Vidyalaya. This wedamahathmiya treats patients for all general ailments and specializes in Kadun Bindun wedakama and the Shara wedakama. Indigenous/Sri Lankan Ayurveda Doctor Mataraarachchi Wedamahathmiya has developed a specific wattoru based syrup for fever that could be used even for COVID like conditions (named as the Shri Wimala Una Peniya and also a peyawa (Jarabanga peyawa) that has so far succeeded in curing many early COVID19 specific symptoms.
All the Sinhala Wedakam/ Sri Lankan Ayurveda medical experts use the ancient Nadi wedakama to identify diseases. All the doctors practice Buddhist meditation in their personal lives and as part of their medical tradition and are of a calm and kind disposition which is a major pre-requisite in Sinhala Wedakama and Ayurveda in general as authentically practised.
In addition to the doctors practising Sinhala Wedakama (Deshiya Chikitsa) as part of Sri Lankan Ayurveda there are MBBS qualified doctors of the Western medical tradition who are equally qualified in the Nadi Wedakama and deep Buddhistic meditation which they use for heightening their awareness in healing. These doctors are affiliated with the Hela Suwaya traditional medicine facility which focuses significantly on pure earth-based food as medicine where Dharmika Govithena/Govithenata Aushada ancient farming concepts are used for cultivating thousands of acres in Sri Lanka to provide poison-free food.
All the food obtained and provided to the guests recovering from the COVID virus at the Kelaniya residential weda gedera cum hotel, is fully organic/nature-based. Ancient medicinal heirloom rice such as Kaluheeneti, Pachaperumal and Kuruluthuda and many other varieties are used for main meals as well as lunu kendha (traditional Lankan broth). Only food suitable for the specific health condition and which will not aggravate the symptoms will be provided.
“We believe this step we have taken is a beacon of light not only for Sri Lanka but for the world. This is a chance for us to return from the synthetic to mother nature. Wedakama and Ayurveda is based on the core principles of nature,” states Buddhima Mendis, the General Manager of the Lak Suwa Sahana Maha Weda Gedera located within the Heritage Eco Resort.
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