Madurai to host free 'Ayush 2026' expo with 90 stalls from October 16 to 18

Madurai will host a three-day traditional medicine exhibition, "Ayush 2026", from Friday, October 16 to Sunday, October 18, 2026, at the MADITSSIA Hall, the organisers announced at a press meet on Wednesday, October 14. The Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (MADITSSIA), which is staging the show, said about 90 stalls run by manufacturers of Indian systems of medicine will take part. The exhibition will be open to the public from 10 am to 7 pm each day, and entry is free. According to the organisers, the event has the support of the Union Ministry of Ayush and the Central Council for Research in Siddha, among others.

Siddha, one of the systems recognised under the Ayush umbrella, has its own central research council, and that council's backing gives the Madurai show a Siddha focus alongside the other systems. An exhibition organised by a small-industries association, rather than a government department, puts the commercial side of the sector on show: the firms that make and sell herbal formulations, oils and cosmetics, many of them small units.

For visitors, the show offers a chance to see what the different systems offer in one place and to speak directly to makers. The organisers said the stalls will include rare medicinal plants used in the management of diabetes. Readers should remember that a remedy displayed at a trade show is not the same as one proven in clinical trials, and that people already on medicine for diabetes should not change their treatment without speaking to their doctor.

Support from the Ministry of Ayush and the Central Council for Research in Siddha also links the event to the government's wider push to promote traditional systems, which this week included new Ayush treatment guidelines for skin disorders. For small manufacturers, an exhibition of this kind is a way to reach buyers, distributors and patients directly.

Short-term: Residents of Madurai and nearby districts can visit the stalls free of charge over the weekend, use the free health check-ups and buy products directly from manufacturers. Exhibitors get three days of direct contact with customers and trade buyers.

Long-term: Regular exhibitions help small traditional-medicine makers in southern Tamil Nadu build markets beyond their own towns, and keep public attention on Siddha and the other Ayush systems.

Who is affected: Ayush manufacturers and practitioners in Tamil Nadu, patients interested in traditional medicine, herbal cosmetics buyers, and students of the Indian systems of medicine.

Questions and Answers