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News: Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav urged global recognition of Sowa-Rigpa as an evidence-based system and preservation of ancient Bhoti manuscripts documenting its knowledge.
About Sowa-Rigpa
- About: Sowa-Rigpa is a system of medicine which is one of the oldest medical traditions across the world.
- It is also known as the Amchi System of medicine and Tibetan medicine.
- Terminology: The term Sowa-Rigpa means Knowledge of Healing. It derives its meaning from the Bhoti Language.
- Origin: The Buddha is said to be the originator of this Tibetan system of medicine.
- Practised in: This system was reinforced in the Trans-Himalayan region and is popular in Himalayan societies such as Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh (Spiti and Lahoul), Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal (Darjeeling), Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.
- It is practised in some parts of China, the Himalayan regions of India, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, and Bhutan.
- More than 75 percent of the Sowa-Rigpa tests have been derived from the Ashtanga Hridaya. It is a famous exposition of Ayurveda.
- Medicine used: Many medicines of Indian origin, such as Ashwagandha, Guggulu, Triphala, Ashok, Haridra, etc., are used in the Sowa-Rigpa system for treatment purposes.
- Literature: Gyud-Zi or the Four Tantras was the fundamental textbook of this form of medicine.
- Recognition: Recognised under India’s Ayush framework, it has evolved over centuries across the Trans-Himalayan region and remains an important repository of traditional medical knowledge.
- National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa is the country’s apex institution for education, research and healthcare in the Sowa-Rigpa system.
About Bhoti-Language Manuscripts
- Bhoti-language manuscripts are historical and religious texts written in the traditional Bhoti script (derived from the Tibetan script).
- It was closely tied to Buddhism, and it was used extensively in the monasteries for religious texts, teachings, and scriptures.
- Notably, Bhoti-language manuscripts also contain centuries-old Sowa-Rigpa knowledge.
