4. Health and Hygiene Consciousness

In Bāṇabhaṭṭa’s time, people also gave much attention to hygiene. It is found that when king Prabhākaravardhana had fall in great fever (dāhajvara), he had been transferred to a room which was known as dhavalagṛha,^[1] for his hygiene. The physician (vaidya) used different medicinal plants to cure the king. All the rooms were scented with different medicines^[2] and his whole body was anointed with different medicinal herbs.^[3]

It is seen, in the time of Yaśomatī’s delivery, the houses had been washed with cūnam for hygiene. The palaces were washed with cūnam^[4] and, also, she was shifted to another room (kakṣa) for her hygiene.^[5] It is also found in the Kādambarī that in the lying-in chamber of queen Vilāsavatī, nimba (ariṣṭataru) and other medicinal things were being burnt for the purpose of purifying the air in the room.^[6] The people used water to clean their body. The writer mentions that Prince Rājyavardhana had washed his face.^[7]

Moreover, at that time, the people knew the use of mercury. P.V. Kane comments-“Mercury if properly treated would make men mortal .”^[8] The medicine specialist or chemist known as rasāyana^[9] or vaidya, had advertised the features of their medicines through various agents.^[10] Again, the writer uses the term śvitrin to imply leper i.e., suffering from white leprosy (śvitra), to indicate the skin diseases. At that time, patient’s physical condition was measured by comparing with a tree.^[11] The author also mentions a leper person always hesitated to touch (saṃkocita) anything.^[12]

1 Herbs Used in Cosmetics:

It is found that the herbs were used in cosmetics during 7^th century A.D. Herbal cosmetics have a great importance today also. The word aṅgarāga^[13] was used for cosmetics. A brief description was found on the use of herbs in the time of Rājyaśrī’s marriage. The beauticians had used many herbs to make-up the bride with. They used a face-pack which was made from ghṛta, kuṅkuma etc. And they also prepared unguents for the face that produced special beauty, which was a medicine known as balāśanā,^[14] made from kakkula (a fragrant berry), jātiphala (nutmeg) etc.

According to the Saṅketa commentary—

balāśanāpuṣpākyauṣadhiḥ tatpakkaṃ ghṛtaṃ rakṣārathaṃ kriyate.^[15]

The writer mentions that princess Rājyaśrī used the candana powder to increase her beauty,^[16] and, also she used the flowers as scent in her body.^[17] It is also known that the saffron was used to mark the spots on clothes. The bridal dress was spotted with saffron paste i.e., some of the textures had been marked with spots of saffron paste.^[18] Candana was also used as marks on the forehead at that time.^[19] The writer mentions that people of the 7^th century A.D. used the candana powder to increase their beauty.^[20]

2 Plants used As Ornaments:

Again, in Bāṇabhaṭṭa’s time, flowers were used as ornament. It is described that a brāhmaṇa adorn his ear with girikarṇikā flower and the flowers were interwoven with the tips of dūrvā grass which were smeared with rocanā.^[21] Devī Sarasvatī also adorned her ear with the flower of Sindhuvāra.^[22] The writer describes that people had adorned their ears with the branches of Śirīṣa flowers, when they came to join the princess Rājyaśrī’s marriage party.^[23] Again, the Bakula flowers had been worn in the head.^[24] It is mentioned in the Amarakoṣa^[25] also. The writer mentions that in festive occasions, people wore the garland of flowers. On the occasion of wedding of the Maukhari king Grahavarman, his head was decorated with the garland of Mallikā flower.^[26] The people of the city also decorated themselves with different types of flowers in their heads, in their ears etc. when they went to Rājyaśrī’s marriage party.^[27]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid.,V.p.78

[2]:

aviralabāṣpapayaḥ pariplutalosanena vividhauṣadhidravyadrava… gandhamājighrannavāpa tṛtīyam kakṣāntaram, Ibid.,V.p.77

[3]:

...vividhauṣadhidhūlidhusaritaśarīrayā, Ibid.,V.p.78

[4]:

…mahotsavadhiyeva dhavalayantyo bhavanaṃ…, Ibid.,IV.p.61

[5]:

āsannoprasavamahotsavadhiyeva dhavalayantyo bhavanaṃ…, Ibid.

[6]:

analapluṣyamāṇāriṣtatarupallavollasitarakṣādhūmagandham, Kādambarī, p.120

[7]:

parijanopanītena toyena …..kathamapi cakṣurakṣālayat, Harṣacarita,VI.p.92

[8]:

Ibid.,p.534

[9]:

Ibid.,VI.p.106

[10]:

rasāyanarasābhiniveśinaśca vaidyavyañjanāḥ subahupuruṣāntaraprakāśitauṣadhaguṇā gaṇapatervideharājasutasya rājayakṣmāṇamajanayan, Ibid.,VI.p.106

[11]:

śvitriṇa iva ploṣavicaṭadvalkaladhavalaśambūkaśuktayaḥ suṣkeṣu sarḥasu, Ibid.,II.p.23

[12]:

śaktimato’pi ścitiṇa iva saṅkocitakarayugalasya, Ibid.,VII,p.120

[13]:

Ibid.,IV.p.69

[14]:

balāśanāgṛtaghanīkṛta kuṅkkumakalkamiśritāṃścaṅgarāgaṃllāvaṇyaviśeṣakṛnti ca mukhalepanāni kalpayantībhiḥ kakkolamiśrāḥ sajātiphalāḥ……, Ibid.

[15]:

Ibid., p.224

[16]:

candanadhavalatanulatām, Ibid.,IV.p.72

[17]:

kusumāmodanirhāriṇīṃ….nirgatām, Ibid.,IV.p.71

[18]:

aparairāravdhakuṅkumapaṅkasthāsakacchuraṇairaparairudbhujabhujiṣyā- bhajyamānabhaṅgurottarīyaiḥ…………, Ibid.,IV.p.69

[19]:

[a] ….candanalalāṭikābhiḥ, Ibid.,IV.p.62 [b] haricandanarasaprakṣālite…..samupaviṣṭam, Ibid.,II. p.32 [c] sacandanatilakāḥ….., Ibid.,IV.p.63

[20]:

candanadhavalatanulatām, Ibid.,IV.p.72

[21]:

.….racanacitra….. dūrvāgrapallavagrathita girikarṇikākusuma kṛtvā karṇapuraḥ, Ibid.,II.p.25

[22]:

Ibid.,I.p.2

[23]:

śirīṣakusumastavakakarṇapuraiḥ…, Ibid.,IV.p.63

[24]:

skandhāvalambamānakesaramālāḥ…, Ibid., I. p.3

[25]:

.….. puṃnāge vakule nāgakesare, Amarakoṣa,I.10,43

[26]:

utfullamallikāmuṇḍamālāmadhyādhyāsitakusumaśekhareṇa śirasā, Harṣacarita,IV.p.71

[27]:

samuṇḍamālikāḥ, sakarṇapallavaḥ……, Ibid.,IV.p.63