Soans’ farm in Moodbidri has healing powers

A Cretan labyrinth in this Jain pilgrimage township is attracting locals as well as tourists from Europe for its natural healing powers.

The labyrinth is laid out on the 100-acre farm of Dr LC Soans, known as ‘the pineapple king’ of Dakshina Kannada,which is 40 km from Mangalore.

“It is circular with an intricate pathway from the entry point at the periphery to the centre. Unlike a maze, the pathway here does not lead to a deadend. Instead, it leads to the centre,” said Dr Soans.

“They are like the Mandalas in natural healing. Walking in each labyrinth is similar to a 1-km walk, while the area covered by the labyrinth is just 150 sq ft,” he said. “During my visits to Europe, I used to wonder why patients in a hospital were moving inside the concentric circles after their intake of daily medicine and therapeutic doses. When I asked the medical superintendent, he told me the labyrinth had become an extended facility of almost every hospital in Europe. It is now regarded as an alternative medicine. This labyrinth is mandatory facility in many parts of Europe that patients should be given a chance to use the natural healing therapy,” he said.

Those who follow the ancient healing techniques see the labyrinth as the life of a human being with its centre representing the mother’s womb where the user re-enters and come out transformed.

“It is stated to be a stress reducer, which helps in natural healing of common arthritis to some forms of cancer,” he said.

European tourists, who arrive on cruise ships, visit the Soans Farm located at Bannadka in Moodbidri and use the labyrinth.

“But most of the visitors are locals and many of them have told me that they did feel the difference after using the labyrinth,” he said.

“Classical designs of labyrinth were found as early as 430 BC at Cretan Islands in Europe. Over the centuries, the concept has been preserved in its classical design and the one I laid out was designed on the original at Cretan Islands,” he added.