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Vaidya
Sanskrit term and surname From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Vaidya (Sanskrit: वैद्य), or vaid is a Sanskrit word meaning "doctor, physician".[1] Today it is used to refer to traditional practitioners of Ayurveda, an indigenous Indian system of alternative medicine.[2] 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").[3][4]
In Maharashtra, like many other last names, the last name "Vaidya" is linked to the profession that the family followed.[5] Vaidyan or Vaidyar is a similar term used in Kerala to denote a physician.
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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, Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu, Billava, Mogaveera, Nairs,Ezhava[6][7][8][9][10][11] as well as Sonar (goldsmith).[12]
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