Jivaka
Kumar Bhaccha
History: The Roots of Thai Massage
The history of Thai massage lies in India, within a system of healing that traces it's origins back over 3,000 years, to roots in Yoga practice, Ayurvedic medicine and Buddhist spiritual practices. In the Thai language their massage is called nuad borarn, which means ancient massage. The word borarn comes from the sanskrit root word purana which means ancient or sacred body of work.
The teachings and practices of Yoga date back at least 3,000 years (the Vedas and Upanishads) and some findings date the origins even earlier. Folk legend attributes the founding of this healing art to an Indian doctor and contemporary of the Buddha named Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha who is actually mentioned by name in the Pali Canon (the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism). The teachings of Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha, Buddhism and Ayurveda spread throughout southeast Asia, reaching Siam (now Thailand) in what is believed to be 2nd or 3rd century BC.
Over the centuries, spiritual teachings and healing techniques such as Thai massage have mainly been passed down orally from teacher to student. In more or less its present form Thai massage has been practiced in Thailand for over a thousand years.
