Diana Ningthoujam
The Ayurveda Centre at the Gateway Hotel Calicut is one of a kind. Combining the 5,000-year-old healing tradition with five-star facilities, it has created a niche for itself in the annals of ayurveda. Based in Kerala, the home of Ayurveda, this award-winning hotel is tucked in lush greenery, not very far from the city of Kozhikode or from its famed historic centres.
Built in an architectural style specific to the area, the hotel complements its verdant surroundings. The lobby, a blend of Indonesian and Kerala architecture, is a grand work of art with its rough-hewn wooden accents, making it the perfect abode to submit to the world of therapeutic ayurveda. Ayurveda means the ?knowledge of life? (ayu: life; veda: knowledge of), and therefore, an ayurvedist naturally seeks to achieve a holistic healing process. The centre offers many kinds of rejuvenation programmes, tailor made to specific demands, keeping in mind an individual?s health and lifestyle. And all this in a five-star ambience with the best of comforts and personal attention. With a focus on holistic healing, this is the place for those who want and can afford to be seriously spoiled.
Managed by the Ayushman Ayurvedic Trust, affiliated to the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, the centre is fully equipped with qualified doctors, trained therapists and yoga instructors. It includes three treatment rooms, a yoga room and a meditation centre. It provides ayurvedic therapies for ailments like arthritis, migraine, weight loss, spondilitis, back pain, skin disorders and multiple sclerosis.
Since Ayurveda believes that when the tridoshas?vata, pitta, and kapha?are perfectly balanced, one has a healthy human constitution, food constitutes an important part at the microcosmic level. And in keeping with the strict regimen followed during the course of treatment, executive chef Amit Ghosh has crafted a special ayurvedic menu, in consultation with and in accordance with the recommendations of the physicians of the Ayurveda Centre, which aims to suit a patient?s constitution, and also satisfy his/her individual tastes.
Over the years, the Ayurveda Centre has developed a strong foundation as a serious treatment centre where a lot of ayurvedists come back to get healed and rejuvenated. ?We have had a case where a patient was brought on a stretcher, but left the centre walking after the treatment,? says Dr Vatsala. It also lures a lot of Europeans, Middle-Easterners and NRIs.
According to hotel sales manager Janaki Gopal, during the peak season of monsoons, the percentage of guests on the Ayurveda programme moves up to even 18-20% of the total guests. However, the centre has quite a number of walk-ins/non-resident guests on a day-to-day basis who come for a therapeutic massage, she said. And who would not love the sheer pleasure of a deep, thorough massage with herbal-infused oils? Whether it?s a soothing facial treatment or a full-body massage, the skin will glow and the mind will feel clear. A truly holistic approach.
The trip was sponsored by The Gateway Hotel
