Vaidya (
Sanskrit: ), or vaid is a
Sanskrit word meaning "traditional practitioner of
Ayurveda", an indigenous Indian system of
alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...
. 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
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
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.
Vaidya as a surname
As a last name in Maharashtra, Vaidya is usually found in several communities like the
Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu Chitpawan
The Chitpavan Brahmin or Konkanastha Brahmin is a Hindu Maharashtrian Brahmin community inhabiting Konkan, the coastal region of the state of Maharashtra. Initially working as messengers and spies in the late seventeenth century, the community ...
as well as
Sonar(goldsmith, an educationally backward caste).
Notables
*
Lakshman Jagannath Vaidya
*
Narayan Jagannath Vaidya
*
Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya
Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya (18 October 1861– 20 April 1938) was a Marathi language, Marathi-language historian and writer from Maharashtra, India. He was Chief Justice of Gwalior State for a period. He was born in a Chitpavan Brahmin family.
In 19 ...
*
Bhai Vaidya
*
Arun Shridhar Vaidya
*
Jalabala Vaidya
*
Omi Vaidya
*
Kaajal Oza Vaidya
*
Rahul Vaidya
*
Prahalad Chunnilal Vaidya
*
Rajaram Vaidya
*
Harish Rajaram Vaidya
*
Santosh Harish Rajaram Vaidya
Santosh (), also spelled as Santhosh, is a Hindu masculine given name. The name means "Satisfaction" or "Gratification".
Notable people with the given name Santosh
* Santosh Bagrodia, former MP, politician representing INC
* Santosh Bhattachary ...
*
Tejas Harish Rajaram Vaidya
See also
*
Vaid (surname)
Vaid ( Punjabi: ਵੈਦ, Hindi: वैद) is a surname (family name) and a clan that belongs to the Mohyal Brahmin community. Mohyal Brahmins are Saraswat Brahmins of Punjabi descent, who originally belonged to the Ghandhara region of Ancien ...
References
{{Reflist
Surnames
Indian surnames
Linguistic history of India
Indian words and phrases
Traditional healthcare occupations
Titles in India
Men's social titles
Cultural history of India
Ayurveda