The Body Politic and the Nationalist Cure: Ayurvedic Revivalism against Colonial Hegemony in Punjab,1858–1910

• Ateeq-Ur-Rehman Sajid

  Author

This research paper investigates the profound crisis and subsequent revival of the Ayurvedic medical system in the Punjab region during the crucial period of high British imperialism, spanning 1858 to 1910. The advent of the British Raj brought with it the imposition of Western biomedicine, a system that, unlike its traditional counterparts, enjoyed immediate and overwhelming state patronage. This state support was systematically deployed to marginalize and suppress indigenous healing traditions, particularly Ayurveda, through restrictive policies and the establishment of government-funded medical institutions. The research maps the initial structural threats posed by colonial legislation, such as the debate surrounding medical registration, which effectively sought to delegitimize Vaids and Hakims. More importantly, it examines the spirited and organized resistance mounted by the practitioners of indigenous medicine. This resistance transformed into a major cultural and political movement, marked by the mobilization of Vaids, the formation of nationalist conferences like the All-India Ayurvedic Conference, and the strategic leveraging of modern print culture. The essay demonstrates that the revival of Ayurveda was not merely a reaction to external threat but a conscious, nationalist project. It became a powerful ideological tool, aligning the restoration of traditional medical knowledge with the broader political demand for swaraj, thus transforming healthcare from a matter of healing into a central pillar of anti-colonial identity in Punjab.

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