Vaidya (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: ), or vaid is a

word meaning "doctor, physician". Today it is used to refer to traditional practitioners of

Ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

, an indigenous Indian system of

alternative medicine Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...

. Senior practitioners or teachers were called ''Vaidyarāja'' ("physician-king") as a mark of respect. Some practitioners who had complete knowledge of the texts and were excellent at their practices were known as ''Pranaacharya''. Some royal families in India had a personal ''vaidya'' in attendance and these people were referred to as '' Rāja Vaidya'' ("the king's physician"). In Maharashtra, like many other last names, the last name "Vaidya" is linked to the profession that the family followed. Vaidyan or Vaidyar is a similar term used in Kerala to denote a physician.

Vaidya as a surname

As a last name in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, Vaidya Vaidyar or Vaidyan are usually found in several communities like the

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) or historically and commonly known as Chandraseniya Prabhu or just Prabhu is a caste mainly found in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Historically, they made equally good warriors, statesmen as well as writers. Th ...

Billava The Billava, Billoru, Biruveru or Bhil, Bhillava people are an ethnic group of India. They constitute 18% of the total Karnata population. They are found traditionally in Tulu Nadu region and engaged in toddy tapping, Agriculture, cultivation an ...

Mogaveera Mogaveera is a fishermen community in the Tulunad region of South West India. They dominated the maritime business of the region. History The Mogaveeras are the fishermen community of Tulu Nadu. The Mogaveeras have also been porters or pa ...

Nairs The Nair (, ) also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom hi ...

Ezhava The Ezhavas, () also known as ''Thiyya'' or ''Tiyyar'' () in the Malabar region, and Chovar () in the south, are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the po ...

as well as

Sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...

(goldsmith).

Notables

* Lakshman Jagannath Vaidya *

Velutheri Kesavan Vaidyar Velutheri Kesavan Vaidyar(1858–1896) was a Malayalam poet; Sanskrit scholar and Ayurveda physician from the state of Kerala, India. He is associated with the Venmani School of Malayalam Literature. Kesavan was a schoolmate, friend and follower ...

* Narayan Jagannath Vaidya *

Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya (18 October 1861– 20 April 1938) was a Marathi-language historian and writer from Bombay Presidency, British India. He was Chief Justice of Gwalior State for a period. He was born in a Chitpavan Brahmin family. In 1908, ...

* Bhai Vaidya *

Arun Shridhar Vaidya General Arunkumar Shridhar Vaidya (27 July 1926 – 10 August 1986) was an Indian Army general. He served as the 12th Chief of the Army Staff from 1983 to 1986. Following his retirement, he was assassinated by Harjinder Singh Jinda and Suk ...

Jalabala Vaidya Jalabala Vaidya (12 August 1936 – 9 April 2023) was an Indian stage actress. She was best known for her one-woman performance of ''The Ramayana'' which is her husband, Gopal Sharman's contemporary dramatic interpretation of the Sanskrit epic ...

Omi Vaidya Omi Vaidya (born January 10, 1982) is an American actor of Indian descent who works in Bollywood films. He is best known for his performance as Chatur Ramalingam or "Silencer" in the 2009 buddy-drama film, '' 3 Idiots''. In addition, Vaidya has ...

Kaajal Oza Vaidya Kaajal Oza Vaidya is an author, screenwriter, radio personality and journalist from Ahmedabad, India. She initially worked as a journalist and actress. She has written more than 56 books including novels, short stories and essays. She has writt ...

Rahul Vaidya Rahul Krushna Vaidya (born 23 September 1987) is an Indian singer and music composer. He started his career with the reality show '' Indian Idol 1'' in which he became 2nd runner up. He has also participated in '' Bigg Boss 14'' and was crown ...

Prahalad Chunnilal Vaidya Prahalad Chunnilal Vaidya (P.C.Vaidya; 23 May 1918 – 12 March 2010), was an Indian physicist and mathematician, renowned for his instrumental work in the general theory of relativity. Apart from his scientific career, he was also an education ...

Dipankar Vaidya (Dipak) Dipankar is a given name in Assam and West Bengal. It means "One who has the lamp in his hands or part of deep means light". People having this name are generally considered to be male. Notable people with this name * Dipankar Srijnan Atisha ( ...

References

{{Reflist Surnames Surnames of Indian origin Linguistic history of India Indian words and phrases Traditional healthcare occupations Titles in India Men's social titles Cultural history of India Ayurveda

Vaidya as a surname

Notables

See also

References