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, Ezhava 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 * Narayan Jagannath Vaidya * Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya * Bhai Vaidya * Arun Shridhar Vaidya * Jalabala Vaidya * Omi Vaidya * Kaajal Oza Vaidya * Rahul Vaidya * Prahalad Chunnilal Vaidya * Dipankar Vaidya (Dipak)

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