Gendering Late Colonial Ayurvedic Discourse: United Provinces, c. 1890–1937

Abstract

The late nineteenth and early twentieth century India witnessed the rise and growth of cultural and political nationalism with its unflinching support to revive ‘indigenous’ culture, system or tradition. A sudden interest in the revival of ‘indigenous’ medical systems of India during the same period was a natural corollary to the aforesaid phenomenon. This led to the growth of a medical revivalist movement centred largely around the portrayal of Ayurveda as an ‘indigenous’ self. Ayurveda in such a discourse became a true representative of a ‘time-tested’, ‘authentic’, ‘indigenous’ healing culture of India. However, a close analysis of the contemporaneous Ayurvedic discourse reflects gender-oriented concerns and predilections. The present article explores some of these gendered concerns and predilections of Ayurveda thereby showing how the Ayurvedic discourse on health and medicine, despite its claim to rationality and scientificity, was not separate from its social surroundings. Set in the early twentieth century United Provinces, this article reflects on the ideas and notions of the Ayurvedic practitioners who, in many ways, became handy in reinforcing patriarchy. Even Yashoda Devi, the famous female Ayurvedic practitioner from Allahabad who had expertise on women-oriented diseases, cannot be cleared of this blame. Thus, this article attempts a gender-sensitive analysis of the late colonial Ayurvedic discourse.