Citta Surgery: Varman-therapy

If the Tranquebar-patient would have suffered from an injury to body or limb, conventional forms of surgery would not have been performed by the Citta practitioner. The Citta treatment for such injuries would have likely involved an indigenous form of bone-setting particular to the southern part of Tamilnadu or a type of acupressure, called varman-therapy, which developed in close association with the martial arts in the modern state of Kerala, where warriors where taught the varman or vulnerable points on the body in order to disable their enemies.

The number of important varmam (Skt. marman)-points is said to be 108 (some say 107) out of a total of 400. Indigenous healers developed techniques of applying pressure to these points in order to aide patients suffering from debilitations of the body and limbs, remove pain, and cure a variety of other ailments. Already in the early Ayurvedic treatises 108 marman-points are mentioned. It is therefore likely the identification of the different varmam/marman-points derived from the tradition of Ayurveda, but the techniques for massaging these points to promote healing developed among the indigenous tribes of Kerala and Tamilnadu.

It is a common practice for indigenous healers from one region to travel to other regions in order to learn new techniques of healing, so that over the course of time, indigenous forms of healing were incorporated with parts of other medical systems to become what is today called Citta medicine. Citta/Siddha medicine as it practised today in Tamilnadu represents a blending of Ayurveda, Unani, and indigenous forms of healing.

This series of reports has provided but a glimpse of the rich tradition of Citta medicine which was available to the residents of 18^th century Tranquebar. To date, we don’t know how many, or indeed, if any Danes would have chosen to utilise this form of Indian medicine. Perhaps we will never know. The records show that at least one Danish doctor, Dr Folly, was impressed enough with Citta’s alchemy to undertake research into it. The ongoing research on various aspects of the former Danish colony under the National Museum’s “Tranquebar Initiative” will surely reveal more information about Citta medicine around Tranquebar.