Traditional clay bowl, Dhara Chatti, with string loop for suspension, used in Ayurvedic Shirodhara therapy, manufactured by The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy Ltd , Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India c2005.

Shirodhara is an Ayurvedic medical treatment. Warm medicated oil is poured from a bowl known as a dhara chatti in a straight line on to the forehead. The treatment aims to restore calm and balance the nervous system and is used for illnesses affecting the head.

Ayurveda is an ancient medical tradition from India that encompasses a whole way of life and is still practised today. Preventing disease is just as important as curing it. Ayurveda is derived from two words: ayus, meaning “life” and veda, meaning “knowledge”.