Vaidhya

Vaidya or Vaidraj or Kabiraj is a term used in India to refer to a person or Doctor practicing Ayurveda[1] Senior practitioners or teachers were called Vaidhraj, as a mark of respect. The royal families of India, used to have their personal Vaidhya, who attended to Kings and the royal families. They were referred to as Raj Vaidhya.[2][3]Raj means Kingdom. The word Vaidhya and Raj Vaidya are of Sanskrit origin and widely used in Hindi and other languages of India to identify Ayruvedic practitioner.

A slightly different pronunciation as Vaid or Vaiddh is used in Gujarati. The surnames like Vaidhya, Vaid, Vaidhh, Vaidh, Vaidya, Baid, Baidya found in persons of India, are therefore, occupational surnames and has its root to this profession.

The term Kabiraj for Ayurvedic doctor is used usually in Bengali, Assamese, Oriya and Bihari language in India.

See also


References

  1. ^ [1] Encyclopedia of medical anthropology: health and illness in the ..., Volume 2 By Carol R. Ember
  2. ^ [2] Gazetteer of the Chamba State By Rose Hutchison
  3. ^ [3] Development/digression diary of India: 3D companion volume to Information ...By S. P. Agrawal