We are living in an era of chronic exhaustion. The blurring of lines between work and home has left us depleted. Urban India is looking for digital detoxes, holistic healing, and trips that act as an expression of self. Identified as one of the most defining travel personas of 2026, the Glowmad travels explicitly for beauty, wellness, and self-care.

And for the defining history of that journey, you have to travel to Varanasi. You have to travel back to 600 BCE — to meet Sushruta, the definitive Father of Surgery.

The Sushruta Samhita

Working on the banks of the Ganges in what is now Varanasi (then known as Kashi), Sushruta authored the Sushruta Samhita — a comprehensive medical compendium that details:

  • 120 surgical instruments — scalpels, forceps, probes, needles, catheters
  • 300 different operations — including caesarean sections, cataract removal, kidney stone extraction, and amputations
  • 8 categories of surgery: incision, excision, scarification, puncturing, exploration, extraction, evacuation, and suturing
  • Detailed anatomy from systematic cadaveric dissection — done at a time most other cultures viewed dissection as taboo

This is not heritage as static display. This is ancient engineering discovery at its most operational.

The Original Rhinoplasty

Sushruta's most celebrated logistical strategy was his precise method for nose-reconstruction (rhinoplasty). In ancient India, nasal amputation was a standard punishment for various transgressions — leaving thousands socially marked and seeking restoration.

Sushruta engineered a sophisticated forehead-flap technique:

  1. Cut a precise, leaf-shaped flap of skin from the patient's forehead
  2. Keep the flap attached at the base by a vascular pedicle — this preserves blood supply, preventing necrosis
  3. Twist the flap downward and graft it carefully over the nasal defect
  4. Suture with bark fibers; insert hollow reeds as nasal splints during healing
This 2,600-year-old procedure is logistically almost identical to the modern forehead-flap technique used in plastic surgery today.

When the British colonial surgeons "discovered" this technique in 1794 (after observing it being performed on a bullock-cart driver in Pune), they introduced it to Europe. It was named the "Indian method" in surgical literature. It is now the foundation of modern reconstructive nasal surgery.

Other Sushruta Innovations

  • Pre-anaesthesia: Wine and herbal infusions were used to dull pain; he also wrote about acupressure techniques to manage discomfort
  • Suturing materials: Plant fibers, animal tendon, and horsehair — varied by wound type
  • Antiseptic procedures: Boiling water, fumigation with antimicrobial herbs, and sterilizing instruments over flame
  • Surgical training: Students practiced on pumpkins, gourds, and leather pouches before operating on humans

Tracing the Heritage in Varanasi Today

  • Sushruta Samhita Bhavan, Banaras Hindu University (BHU): The IMS-BHU houses one of the most respected centers for studying Sushruta's work in the world
  • Bharat Kala Bhavan museum (BHU campus): Holds palm-leaf manuscripts and historical surgical artifacts
  • Sarnath: 10 km from Varanasi, where Buddha gave his first sermon. The deer park's peaceful contrast to Varanasi's intensity is part of the heritage experience

How to Experience It

Pair a morning Ganga boat ride with an afternoon visit to BHU. Most generic Varanasi itineraries skip BHU entirely — but for the Glowmad seeking authentic wellness heritage, it is the essential stop. Book a guided heritage walk with a verified BHU researcher (available through approved Varanasi tour operators).

The Verdict

By using AI planners to cut through generic itineraries, 2026 wellness travelers are prioritizing hyper-personalized historical retreats. The valid, medical engineering pioneered in Varanasi 2,600 years ago is the deepest possible foundation for understanding the holistic Indian approach to self-care and the body.