Vaidhya

Also known as Vaidya

Vaidya (Sanskrit: ), or vaid is a Sanskrit word meaning "doctor, physician". Today it is used to refer to traditional practitioners of Ayurveda, an indigenous Indian system of alternative medicine. 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").