Hotel Kalari Kovilakom

  Overview

Kalari Kovilakom is the Palace for Ayurveda, perhaps the first and only one of its kind. Its face is the face of the warrior-king, elegant and expansive. But its heart is that of a sage, offering a deep healing, a doorway to the union of the mind, body and spirit.

It was in the 19th century that they built Kalari Kovilakom.

Today, Kalari Kovilakom has been restored and recreated into a unique experience in wellness. Combining the healing experience of India's ancient medicinal system, Ayurveda, with the grace and scale of palace living.

The intent and purpose of Kalari Kovilakom is to give you a chance to start your life all over again. Ayurveda, if correctly followed, promises not only a new body and mind, but a deep connection with the spirit.

To the ancient Indians, this was a cosmic connection. A chance to be reborn in this life itself.

  Accommodation

These wooden slats provide a well of light and fresh air to the first floor rooms in the Palace Section, even as they keep the noonday heat firmly at bay.

• 18 palatial suites that offer the experience of authentic palace living.
• The Old Guest Wing, with '20s colonial Western-styled rooms.
• The Palace Wing, which has traditional Kerala architecture reminiscent of the 'zenana'.

● Old Guest Wing

A typical room in the Old Guest wing, a section of the palace buiilt specially for visiting European visitors.

● Place Wing

Royal pleasures: an antique swing-divan in the Palace Wing. We inherited much of the furniture when we took over at Kalari, and what we didn't has been recreated faithful to the spare and sensible style of the originals.

● Food

A piquant gram-and-sprout salad forms the centrepiece of this ayurvedic lunch, served in gleaming brass 'katories' (cups) on a banana leaf platter. Organic rice (top) provides rich fibre and the glass of buttermilk cools the system. The dishes of local vegetables are picked to provide a medley of tastes and textures, without having to use excessive fats or spices.

● Yoga and Pranayama

Yoga is the ancient Indian mind-body-spirit discipline, said to have originated in the 'sutras' (philosophical verses) of sage Patanjali, millennia ago.
The word is from the old Sanskrit, and means 'union'. While there are many different forms of Yoga, the purpose of all of them is the same - to achieve oneness with the cosmos. For the serious Yogi, the ultimate aim is to attain 'moksha', or liberation from the karmic cycle of birth and death.
The form of yoga that's most widely known in the West is 'Hatha Yoga', a system of 'Asanas' (postures) meant to perfect and discipline the body, and its accompanying breath exercises, called 'Pranayama'.

At Kalari, we use the Bihar school of Hatha Yoga, a gentle, yet powerful form that combines particularly well with other therapies.
Afternoons in the Yoga Centre are reserved for 'Yoga Nidra', a special meditative technique that brings about deep relaxation in the individual.
Like everything else here, yoga therapies too are personal and focused. You'll be guided through a routine that's designed for your age, ailments, body type and general condition.

● Ayurveda

Ayurveda also gives us the unique idea of food as medicine. The ancients believed that a person's diet had the power to cure many ailments, large and small.

Ayurveda is an intricate system of medicine that originated in India thousands of years ago.
In Sanskrit (India's classical language), Ayu means life, in the combination of mind, body, senses and the soul. And Veda in a simplified sense, means "knowledge".
Therefore, to know about life is Ayurveda.

There are several aspects to Ayurveda that make it a unique system of alternative healing:

Its recommendations will often be different for each person regarding which foods and which lifestyle they should follow in order to be completely healthy. This is due to its use of a constitutional model.

Everything in Ayurveda is validated by observation, inquiry, direct examination and knowledge derived from the ancient texts.

It understands that there are energetic forces that influence nature and human beings. These forces are called the Tridoshas.

Because Ayurveda sees a strong connection between the mind and the body, a huge amount of information is available regarding this relationship and the wellness of the mind is an integral part of any ayurvedic therapy.

Ayurveda Doshes

In Ayurveda, all bodily processes are said to be governed by a balance of three elements called the doshas. The 3 main doshas (medical humours) are Vata (resembles the classical element air), Pitta (fire), and Kapha (water).

Each is present in every individual, but the extent varies, creating hundreds of differing constitutions. Whichever dosha appears to dominate a person's behavior and physique is called his constitution type. Each constitution type has particular strengths and susceptibilities.

● Vata

Vata, composed of air, governs all movement in the mind and body and must be kept in good balance. Too much vata leads to "worries, insomnia, cramps and constipation. Vata controls blood flow, elimination of wastes, breathing and the movement of thoughts across the mind." Vata activates the nervous system, hearing and speech; and expresses as enthusiasm and creativity. Vata also controls the other two principles, Pitta and Kapha, and is usually the first cause of disease.

● Pitta

Pitta is said to be composed of fire and water; it governs all heat, metabolism and transformation in the mind and body. It controls how we digest food, how we metabolize our sensory perceptions, and how we discriminate between right and wrong. Pitta must be kept in balance, too. Too much Pitta can lead to anger, criticism, ulcers, rashes and thinning hair. A balanced Pitta mind makes one a good leader with a warm personality.

● Kapha

Kapha is the watery humour. Kapha cements the elements in the body, providing the material for physical structure. This dosha maintains body resistance and lubricates the joints. It provides moisture to the skin; it helps to heal wounds and fills the spaces in the body; it gives biological strength, vigor and stability; it supports memory retention; it gives energy to the heart and lungs and maintains immunity. Kapha is responsible for emotions of attachment, greed and long-standing envy; it is also expressed in tendencies toward calmness, forgiveness and love." Too much Kapha leads to lethargy and weight gain, as well as congestion and allergies.

Treatments

● Padabhyarngam

This is a special art of uzhichil in which the masseur does the uzhichil with one foot by balancing with a rope hanging on the roof. Here the person has to lie down on the bed, which is spread on the floor in a comfortable relaxed position. Therapists then administer full body massage in a rhythmic manner with his/her foot. According to the Doshic predominance and constitution the medicated oil may vary.

● Udvarthanam

Udvarthanam means Powder massage. The main aim of it is to reduce fat.

Here some medicated powder will be rubbed on the body in upward direction. The purpose of this treatment is to burn down the fat. This particular treatment cleanses the skin and gives nourishment to it. This treatment helps to drain out lymph, increases fat metabolism and reduces cellulite. The patient may feel some irritation while doing the treatment due to the friction of powder with the body, and feedback to the masseur is necessary.

● Sirovasthi

Sirovasthi is the term applied to the process of allowing medicated oil to remain on the head for a prescribed time. This is highly beneficial for facial paralysis, dryness of nostrils and throat, certain varieties of cataracts and headache, cases of insanity, dullness and weakness of brain functioning and many other diseases of head, ears, eyes and nose. The patient is prepared for the treatment through snehana and swedana..

Lukewarm herbal oil is poured in to a cap fitted on the head for 15 to 60 minutes per day according to the condition for a prescribed duration.

● Dhanyakizhi

"Dhanyam" means "Grains" and "kizhi" means "pouch.".

This particular treatment drives away the stiffness of the body. Here the patient is made to lie in a comfortable position. External oleation is done before starting the treatment. A pouch with processed grains is then dipped in medicated oil and applied to the body. Again, there will be an oil application after the main treatment.

● Narangakizhi

"Naranga" means "lemon" and "kizhi" means, "pouch".

The person has to lie down in a comfortable position. External oleation is done before starting the treatment. A cloth pouch with lemon and herbs is dipped in medicated oils and then applied on the body.

● Elakizhi

'Ela' means 'leaves' 'Kizhi' means 'pouch'

After the external oleation, the person has to lie down in a comfortable position. The pouch with leaves and herbs will be dipped in the medicated oil and then it will be applied on the body. The temperature will vary depending up on the tolerance capacity of the person. Again there will be an oil application after the main treatment.

• Kalari Kovilakom Palace is located in the old princely capital town of Kollengode in the foothills of
   the Annamalai range, Kerala, India.
• The nearest International Airport is Cochin, 105 km, or about two-and-a-half hours drive away.
• Coimbatore Airport. is 75 km away and Palghat is the nearest railway station (on the Mumbai-
   Trivandrum route), a mere hours' drive.