| Revision as of 17:09, 4 June 2021 view sourceঅভিরূপ দাশশর্মা (talk | contribs)72 editsNo edit summaryTags: Reverted Mobile edit Mobile web edit← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:11, 4 June 2021 view source অভিরূপ দাশশর্মা (talk | contribs)72 edits ←Replaced content with 'Baidya is a part of Bramhin ==See also== *Vaidhya ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Bengali Hindu people}} Category:Social groups of West Bengal Cat...'Tags: Replaced Reverted Mobile edit Mobile web editNext edit → | ||
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| Baidya is a part of Bramhin | |||
| {{for|the occupation|Vaidhya}} | |||
| '''Baidya'''<ref name="CasteCulture&Hegemony">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlgcrSezHT4C&pg=PA25 |page=25 |title=Caste, Culture and Hegemony: Social Dominance in Colonial Bengal |first=Śekhara |last=Bandyopādhyāẏa |publisher=SAGE |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-76199-849-5}}</ref> or '''Vaidya'''<ref>{{cite book|last=Dutt|first=Nripendra Kumar|title=Origin, Baidyas is a branch of boidick Saraswat Bramhins | |||
| ==History== | |||
| Historian Bijay Chandra Mazumdar suggests that the Baidyas owe their origin to the Vellala Vaidyas, known for their military prowess in ], who started functioning as priests some time earlier than the 10th century CE, and originally got the designation 'Vaidya' on account of their knowledge and study of the ]. The Vellala Vaidyas also served as military leaders and high civil officers apart from being priests of the Dravidian kings.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mazumdar|first=Bijay Chandra|url=https://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_History_of_the_Bengali_Language.html?id=kWr8ioS_pq4C&redir_esc=y|title=The History of the Bengali Language|date=2000|publisher=Asian Educational Services|isbn=978-81-206-1452-9|page=52|language=en}}</ref> | |||
| These migrants, probably Ambashthas as well as the other groups like Vellala Vaidyas, started moving from north and south to Bengal during the period of the ]. They mainly dealt with medicine and other fields of study. Some of them rose to power and endeavoured to revive Vedic Hinduism in predominantly Buddhist Bengal. According to Indologist ], Adisur and Vallal Sena of the ] were considered as Vaidyas. Inden also mentions the Vaidyas as "one of the highest of the ] castes", who possessed "one of the Vedas", the ''Ayurveda''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Inden |first=Ronald B. |author-link=Ronald Inden |year=1976 |title=Marriage and Rank in Bengali Culture: A History of Caste and Clan in Middle Period Bengal |publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-52002-569-1|pages=28–29 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8b9A7J_v-UC&pg=PA28}}</ref> However, they were considered as one of the highest among the Hindu castes in Bengal,<ref name="CasteCulture&Hegemony" /> and there are instances where they were not considered as Shudras; for example, ] barred Shudras from admission, initially allowing only Brahmins and Baidyas to enroll until ] introduced admission for Kayasthas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bayly |first=C. A. |title=Recovering Liberties: Indian Thought in the Age of Liberalism and Empire|date=10 November 2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0GLAWY6L8fIC&pg=PA144 |pages=144–145|isbn=9781139505185 }}</ref> Of note, traditionally, the Hindu community in Bengal was divided into only two ]: Brahmins and Shudras.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Leach|first1=Edmund|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2u88AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA55|title=Elites in South Asia|last2=Mukherjee|first2=S. N.|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1970|pages=55|language=en}}</ref> | |||
| Most Baidyas perform rituals like wearing the ]. It is believed that Vallal Sen, the legendary Sena king, divided the Baidyas into two divisions, for one of which wearing of the thread was compulsory and for the other it was optional,{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} while some consider that a section of the Baidyas themselves started wearing the sacred thread in the 18th century when they started movements in order to improve their ritual status.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2u88AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA59 |pages=59 |title=Elites in South Asia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |editor1-first=Edmund |editor1-last=Leach |editor2-first=S. N. |editor2-last=Mukherjee |year=1970 |chapter=Caste, Class and Politics in Calcutta, 1815-1838 |first=S. N. |last=Mukherjee}}</ref> Tej Ram Sharma, an Indian historian, says that {{quote|Originally the professions of Kayastha (scribe) and Vaidya (physician) were not restricted and could be followed by people of different varnas including the brahmanas. So there is every probability that a number of brahmana families were mixed up with members of other varnas in forming the present Kayastha and Vaidya communities of Bengal.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sharma |first=Tej Ram |title=Personal and Geographical Names in the Gupta Empire|year=1978 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |location=New Delhi |page=115 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WcnnB-Lx2MAC}}</ref>}} | |||
| Traditionally, the Brahmin, Baidya and Kayastha communities together formed the second tier in the social hierarchy of Bengal, being ranked below the rulers. In the era of the Palas, ], ]s and ]s, the ruler had to rely on their support. Baidyas shared the knowledge of ] with Brahmins.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2u88AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA56 |pages=55–56 |title=Elites in South Asia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |editor1-first=Edmund |editor1-last=Leach |editor2-first=S. N. |editor2-last=Mukherjee |year=1970 |chapter=Caste, Class and Politics in Calcutta, 1815-1838 |first=S. N. |last=Mukherjee}}</ref> These three castes held major landholding and control over education and major professions.<ref name="CasteCulture&Hegemony" /><ref name=b>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=swNuAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA25 |title=South Indians in Kolkata: History of Kannadigas, Konkanis, Malayalees, Tamilians, Telugus, South Indian dishes, and Tippoo Sultan's heirs in Calcutta |first=P. Thankappan |last=Nair |publisher=Punthi Pustak |year=2004 |isbn=978-8-18679-150-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aqXqI-LRz0YC&pg=PA49 |title=Beyond Nationalist Frames: Relocating Postmodernism, Hindutva, History |first=Sumit |last=Sarkar |author-link=Sumit Sarkar |publisher=Permanent Black |year=2005 |isbn=978-8-17824-086-2 |page=49}}</ref> | |||
| The terms ''Baidya'' and ''Vaidya'' also literally mean a physician in the ] and Sanskrit languages.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N17hnbh0jAcC&pg=PA102 |title=Women's Activism and Globalization: Linking Local Struggles and Transnational Politics |editor1-first=Nancy A. |editor1-last=Naples |editor2-first=Manisha |editor2-last=Desai |page=102 |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-41593-144-1}}</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 17:11, 4 June 2021
Baidya is a part of Bramhin
