(This is the text of a paper presented by the founder secretary of Konkani Bhasha Prachar Sabha Padmasri N Purushothama Mallya on 7-9.1994 at a meeting organized to celebrate the birth century of Smt. N M Saraswathi Bai, the first woman teacher of Kerala. The text has been edited for grammatical and typographical errors found in the original version)
Hortus Indicus Malabaricus (1678-1703) (12 Vols) is the first printed book on Indian botanical plants. It was first published in the year 1678 A.D. It is to be stated that Ranga Bhat, Vinayak Pandit and Appu Bhat were the three Konkani Ayurvedic Physicians of Cochin who assisted the Dutch Governor of Cochin in the compilation of the gigantic botanical book on Indian plants. An Ezhava by name Itty Achuthan of Kadacarapally in Sherthalai also joined with the three Konkani Brahmin Physicians of Cochin in the compilation of the Botanical book. On each page, Father Mathews would draw a diagram of each plant and on the opposite page, the three Konkani Brahmin Physicians and Itty Achuthan would write in detail about the medicinal values of the plants in Konkani and Malayalam respectively. On the third page Emmanuel Carneiro translated the Malayalam version into Portuguese and that Vinayaka Pandit helped in the translation of Konkani version into Portuguese since it is stated that he knew Portuguese. On the fourth page, the matter was translated into Latin. This was done in order that all literate people of Europe will understand the medicinal value of of Kerala plants. It is as a result of 16 years of hard labor that the encyclopedia of Malabar herbs was brought out as a book form, and it goes without saying that a huge fortune was spent for its preparation.
A legend has been woven around the compilation of the Botanical book on Malabar plants. The wife of the Dutch Governor who had some serious ailment and the eminent doctors who treated her had given up hopes. The Dutch Governor who came to know of the efficiency of the Ayurvedic Brahmin Physicians of Cochin requested them to treat the patient. It is stated that the treatment had the desired effect. The disease was cured. The Konkani Ayurvedic Physicians recommended the Shertalai physician Itty Achuthan also for the curative measures by means of herbs and he was brought in a palanquin to Cochin as per orders of the Dutch Governor. The Dutch Governor ordered the four renowned Ayurvedic Physicians to start a botanical garden in Cochin and also to compile a book on Indian plants which came to be known later in the world under the name “Hortus Indicus Malabaricus”. 794 copper plate engravings were prepared. These along with the manuscript were sent to Holland as a a precious treasure. They were printed at Amsterdam in Holland. These volumes are preserved in the Museum at Amsterdam and it has since been attracting tourists.
Commenting on the book ‘Hortus Indicus Malabaricus’, Reverend Father T Whitehouse writes:
“A book of its size, on which such care was expended, must have consumed a fortune before its publication and confers honors, on those who compiled it”.
(Historical Notices) of Cochin, White house pp 22-23).
This book contains the earliest extant specimen of block printing in Devanagari and that too in Konkani language. The Konkani language is named in the book as Brahmana since the Portuguese and the Dutch used to refer Konkani during their times as Lingua Brahmanica, the language of Brahmins. Some writers mistook it as corrupt Sanskrit. A testimonium written in Konkani in Devanagari script was given to Henrie Van Rheeds by Ranga Bhat, Appu Bhat and Vinayaka Pandit, who then published the same as an introduction to the book in the 12th volume. The testimonium reads thus:
” In the Saka era of Salivahana 1597 (1665 AD) in the Samvatsara of Rakshasa, in the tenth day of the dark half of the lunar month Chaitra, we the three physicians by name Ranga Bhat, Appu Bhat and Vinayaka Pandit, residing in the territory of the Raja of Cochin, as per orders of Henric Van Rheeds, sent over to Malabar are the persons having knowledge of medical trees, creepers, plants and branches, which grow in Malabar and that after bringing those medicines, collecting and storing fruits, flowers, leaves, seeds and all that of the plants of those particular seasons, have pictured and that afterwards, based on the authority of our dictionary of Medical treatises, what effect and experiences we have received on medicine, the name of these medicines were noted, and that we have so far spend ten and odd years standing nearby morning and evening, and that what we now prepared in this book, one should not say that it is false, stating likewise, we ourselves have given our signatures. This should be considered as true. This we give in writing in Nagari script.”
Van Rheeds , the Dutch Governor, who visited the house of Ranga Bhat and other Konkani Brahmins in Kerala (between 1671 and 1674) in the book on Malabar Plants notes under head “At Discussion among Konkani Brahmins of Kerala” (Part III on trees, to the kind readers, renumbered page 8) writes:
“I often attended the most delightful entertainment, which was of Brahmin (pagan philosophers) disputing among themselves and arguing on the basis of arguments they had drawn from the opinions, rules and harmonies of their tradition, and from the books of those of their ancestors who had exceled in learning. They would argue, and each of them would defend his own views most strongly, but with incredible modesty of a sort one would wish to find in the most cultivated of Pagan Philosophers-without any bitterness, mental excitement and without the neglect of the mutual respect due among those holding divergent opinions. They follow their ancient tradition and the first creators of the arts with the most devout reverence, referring to the latter their own opinions and received experiences, which they object to, to their authority. And in what concerns medicine and botany, their teaching is contained in verses, any first verse of which begins with the proper name of the plant and then goes on most accurately to set forth its species, properties, accidents, forms, parts, place, time, medicinal qualities, use and other things of the kind. All this is done with such skill that if anyone mentions the name of a plant, a Brahmin can tell you off hand all it has or can be had of it. And though this method of teaching which requires a firm memory, seems to be the more difficult one, yet they impress these verses on the memories of their younger children, in between their play and toys- as they say the memory has greater vigor then; these verses are afterwards most faithfully retained in the memories of docile young and of mature age. The invention of the first of these arts, say medicine or botany- is held to be so ancient as the authors of the books affirm, that with the most constant asseveration they assert that it was in existence before the past four thousand years”.
When several Malayalam poets and novelist have become immortal by their literary works, the practical work of the three Konkani physicians of Cochin and an Ezhava physician of Shertalai has fallen a prey to oblivion in the land of its origin. It is really pitiable that Kerala and her people have forgotten the three great Konkani Ayurvedic Brahmin physicians of Cochin, namely, Ranga Bhat, Appu Bhat, Vinayaka Pandit and the Ezhava physician by name Itty Achuthan of Shertalai.
On “Hortus Indicus Malabaricus’, published by the Dutch Governor Henric Van Rheeds, the Kerala District Gazetteer, Ernakulam district 1965 (p.226) adds:
“Hortus Indicus Malabaricus compiled under Dutch Governor Henric Van Rheeds (1673-1677) also deserves a place of honor among the literary and scientific works compiled in the district though it was finally published from Amsterdam”….
“In compiling the Hortus Malabaricus, the Dutch received help from several scholars, both native and European. The most prominent of the native scholars associated with this work were Brahmins namely Ranga Bhat, Vinayaka Pandit and Appu Bhat and an Ezhava by name Itty Achuthan”…
“A book of its size, on which such care was expected must have consumed a fortune before its publication and confers honor both on those who compiled it and the place where it was compiled.”
(pp 190, 191).
Again, Sri. A. Sreedhara Menon in his book “A Survey of Kerala History”, 1967 on Hortus Indicus Malabaricus writes thus:
“The greatest achievement of the Dutch in the cultural field was perhaps the compilation of the monumental botanical work Hortus Indicus Malabaricus which deals with the medicinal properties of Indian plants. The work was compiled under the patronage of Admiral Van Rheeds and among those who were associated with the great project were Carmelite monk Mathaeus, three Gowda Saraswath Brahmins viz., Ranga Bhat, Appu Bhat and Vinayak Pandit and an Ezhava physician by name Itty Achuthan”. (page 260)
It is high time that the Kerala Government raised a fitting memorial in the names of these great Konkani Ayurvedic Brahmins and Itty Achuthan who helped the Dutch Governor Van Rheeds for the compilation of the gigantic botanical book on Malabar plants. The memorial must be at Cochin as it was the place where the book was compiled and that the Konkani Ayurvedic Brahmin physicians had their birth.
It is stated that N M Saraswathi Bai, daughter of Hari Ranga Bhat, whose birth centenary is being celebrated on 7th September 1994 at Cochin was a descendant of Ranga Bhat, one of the three Konkani speaking Gowda Saraswath Brahmin Ayurvedic physicians of Cochin who helped the Dutch Governor of Cochin, Henric Van Rheeds in the compilation of the famous botanical book on Indian Plants named “Hortus Indicus Malabaricus.”
Konkani was written in the Nagari script during the Portuguese and Dutch periods. The introduction containing a testimonium in Konkani to Van Rheeds, Hortus Indicus Malabaricus published in the year 1678 A D- Dutch botanical work- was written in Nagari. It is given by Ranga Bhat, Vinayaka Pandit and Appu Bhat, the three Konkani Ayurvedic Physicians of Cochin. It bears the Saka era 1597. The names written in different languages including Konkani. Konkani is named therein as Brahmana language. Konkani is known during the Portuguese and Dutch times as “Lingus Brahmanica. The testimonium has the earliest specimen of Devanagari block printing.
(Photostat copy of the testimonial, its readable version thereof and its English translation are omitted here)
Postscript by the editor: A memorial has indeed come up in the backyard of the Cochin Thirumala Devaswom Temple. The busts of the three Konkani speaking Gowda Saraswath Brahmin physicians who assisted in the preparation of the Hortus Indicus Malabaricus has been erected in their place of birth)