This article is about Sanskrit term and surname Vaidya. For caste in West Bengal, see Baidya. For similar ayurvedic title in Eastern India, see Kabiraj.
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.
^R. G. Harshé (1974). Observations on the Life and Works of Bhavabhūti. p. 2. It is so in Maharashtra at least . Thus, the surnames Deshmukh, Desai, etc., indicate the title that the family possessed; Joshi, Vaidya, Purohit are derived from the professions.
^Mrudula Verma; Sarjerao Bhamare; Shripad Nandedkar; Mokashi (2015). Sanshodhak. Historian V.K.Rajwade Research center(mandal), Dhule, India. pp. 1–14. quote on page 1; Not much information is available about the early life of Narayan Jagannatha Vaidya. Narayan Jagannatha Vaidya belonged to the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu(CKP) community of Maharashtra. His brother was the Diwan of Baroda state
^"Book on Thackerays traces ghar vapasi, rivalry between brothers". DNA India. Sep 17, 2019. Like the Thackerays, Vaidya also belonged to the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) community. The CKPs are a small but literate and influential caste, with a high occupational status that equals the Brahmins.
