Vaidya


Vaidya is a Sanskrit word meaning "physician". It is also used unchanged in modern Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi. It was and is used generally in India to refer to a person who practises ayurveda, an indigenous Indian system of medicine. Senior practitioners or teachers were called Vaidyarāja 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.

Vaidya as a surname

"Vaidya" is also a surname in the northern and western states of India. A number of notable people have had the surname, such as: