Govt to boost 2,000-year-old Tibetan medical system Sowa Rigpa

Aiming to unlock the huge potential and provide a fillip to Sowa Rigpa – a Tibetan traditional medical system that dates back to more than 2,000 years – the Government has decided to establish a new complex of National Institute of Sowa Rigpa (NISR). It is one of the oldest, well documented and living medical traditions of the world.

The Union Minister of Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation of this complex at Saboo Thang region in Leh which will provide a platform for propagating this rich medicinal heritage from Himalayas.

Developed in an area of 15 acres by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council at a cost Rs.25 crore, the complex will have a hospital block, staff quarters and hostels. By 2023 the academic block will be completed.

The Ministry of Ayush is also supporting NISR to set up an herbal medicinal garden spread in 10 hectares. This will enable conservation of valued medicinal plants from the trans Himalayan region and its use for treating human ailments.

NISR has signed MoUs with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Amity University and Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga for collaborative research work on Sowa Rigpa and medicinal plants of trans-Himalayas.

The Bachelor of Sowa Rigpa Medicine and Surgery commenced from 2021-22 and its duration is five-and-a-half years. Further, research is being carried out on Sowa Rigpa literature, formulations, disease, demographic study, medicinal plants survey, documentation and conservation.