Puttur Kattu in Rachapalem Village of Andhra
You are already conversant with various methods of traditional bone setting in India. There are many Traditional Bone Setters (TBS) in our country, especially in states like
Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu,
Maharashtra,
Kerala and other Northern states. Kalupada, Athagoda and Kuleila are a few places in Orissa which are famous for traditional bone setting. You must have heard about Puttur Kattu clinics in places such as Chennai, Vizag, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune etc.
What is Meant by Puttur Kattu
Puttur Kattu is the art of setting right different types of fractures and dislocations. There is a village in Andhra Pradesh which has practised this art for many years now, passing the art from one generation to the other. Some people believe that the art is being carried forward in this village since 1881!
Puttur Kattu becomes all the more significant because in villages, Primary Health Care Centres do not have specialized Orthopaedic services.
Why Do People Opt for Puttur Kattu
Well, with sky rocketing medical charges in private hospitals, people prefer a much cheaper alternative which is given by Puttur Kattu. The healing too is comparatively fast and the patient does not have to bear the load of plaster of paris bandage. He is also not confined to a particular place and does not have to bear the brunt of expensive implants.
Puttur Kattu is all about practical training and is a traditional practise in bone setting that commenced in China.
Puttur Kattu in Rachapalem Village
Every day, about 200 to 300 patients arrive in this Andhra village in Chittur district for getting their bones and dislocations alright.
- Distance from Chennai: 125 kms.
- Distance from Tirupati: 25 kms.
- Distance from Puttur: 2 kms.
The paste used on the wounded area is prepared using natural herbs and the villagers do not readily divulge the information. One can become conversant with different practises by just watching routine procedure of bone setting on the patients.
Community Practising Puttur Kattu in Rachapalem
Although the village comprises of many houses inhabited by Kshatriya community, this practice of bone setting is confined only to one caste who have their surnames as '
Raju' and those who are close relatives of Kshatriya community. The village also has two hospitals specializing in bone setting. The smaller hospital is managed by Kadallam Subramnu Raju while the bigger one is maintained by Suprapanaju Krishnanan Raju and consists of more than 70 hospital beds.
Bone setting is carried out in a big hall inside the hospital. It is a state-of-the-art hospital with facilities for computerized registration, television and pharmacy shop. Patients bring their X-ray reports from outside hospitals. However, more importance is given to blood sugar level of the patients.
Patients who come to Rachapalem village are mostly male patients in the age group of 0 to 20 years. Many patients also reach this village from other neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Maharashtra.
Andhra Pradesh is a land of ancient customs and traditions and Puttur Kattu is one of them. Just like Puttur Kattu joins bones of patients visiting Rachapalem village, there are many more ancient traditions that unite and join people in Andhra - a tale of bonding well!