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Bengali Vaidyas refer to a particular community found in Bengal. There have been many discussions on the exact origin of this subcaste. They are ritualistically Yajurvedi (or in some cases Samavedi) Brahmins and have traditionally dealt in teaching and practising Ayurvedic medicine. In the Bengali social strata they identify themselves as "Vaidya-brahmins" but at the same time form a distinct community from the Bengali Rarhi and Varendra Brahmins with regard to marriage relations and priestly duties. However, they had a tradition of Sanksrit teaching and studying and were allowed to study in Sanskrit college with other brahmins. The word 'Vaidya' means a Ayurvedic practician as well as 'one versed in Vedas'.

In old kulaji texts, Vaidyas were often identified as Ambashthas. As per Mahabharata,a Brahmin male could marry the women coming from the first three varnas and the one begotten of vaishya wife was called an Ambastha whose traditional occupation was mentioned as medicine. Technically the Ambastha would be a Brahmin but would get less inherited properties than a Murdhavishikta (son begotten by kshatriya wife) or pure Brahmin (begotten by brahmin wife). The medicinal profession do indicate that there is probably a link with Ambasthas with Vaidyas. However, some vaidyas scholar have argued that Ambastha came as a locational identity for Vaidyas. There was an old region named Ambastha in northwestern India (during the time of mahabharata) and many communities residing there were identified as Ambasthas, for example there is an Ambastha sect among Kayasthas as well. Citing the case of Ambasthas, there have been several attempts to classify vaidyas as sankar(mixed) or sudras (this was suggested in the Brihad-dharma puran also, but however contradicts with the well-established norms regarding anuloma marriage and anyway brihad-dharma is considered not authentic). Vaidyas contend that they are the carriers of the tradition of Brahminic Ayurveda culture and indeed has been involved in Sanskrit Brahminic studies like Upanishads, Vyakarana (grammar), Nyaya (logic), Astrology etc. apart from medicine.

How they came to be identified as a separate clan than main brahmins has many theories. One version states that with the change in mindset of the Hindus regarding surgery, the vaidyas of Sushruta school got degraded from core brahminic status (this happened with Ashta-vaidyans of Kerala too who, though Nambudri brahmins, form a separate sect). Another version (Shivkali bhattacharya) said that Brahmin physicians were not allowed to take fees for their job. When vaidyas started taking fees professionally then they were downgraded. Again, another version says that when Vaidya king Ballal Sen married a lower-caste women, his son Lakshman downgraded a large section of east bengali vaidyas (who were Ballal loyalists) and their sacred thread ritual were temporary banned (however during KIng Rajballabh Sen's regime this was revoked following a "shudhhi"(reform ritual)). From that time the whole vaidya community (since the east bengalies were majority in number) were seen to be semi-brahminic regarding marriages and priestly duties.

It is not clear when the first Vaidyas came to Bengal. King Adishur has been identified as a Vaidya by kulajis of Vaidyas, Rarhi brahmins and Kayasthas. As the semi-historical myth goes, he had migrated from Dardic country and tried to establish Vedic Hinduism in Bengal. He invited 5 Brahmins (along with 5 servants of Kayastha caste)to officiate in the "Putreshti" yagna (aimed to bless him with a son) and these Brahmins are the ancestor of present day Rarhi Brahmins. Adishur's daughter got married with a person from the southern Sen clan (who formed the Sen dynasty following Adishur's regime). Sena kings married with Vaidyas, were also identified as Yajurvedins and have been described as Vaidyas in various old texts. Most Vaidya family tree starts from period dating back to Adishur or Pala kings. Many vaidyas had migrated before/during Adishur's regime (Durjay Dash, a Vaidya kulaji writer says that they were divided into 'Saraswat' and 'Saindhav'). And as per Bhababali (another kulaji text), 4 vaidyas of Shaktri, Dhanvantari, Moudgalya and Kashyap migrated from Kannauj region to Bengal. This two levels of migration gave rise to the "sadhya" and "sidhha" (the last 4 gotra descendents are called sidhha)divisions among Vaidyas. Pala and Sena period was a golden period for vaidyas as they became prominent in administrative duties, played important part in Indian politics (at that time Sena kingdom extended beyond mithila and even to Delhi at certain periods) and produced luminaries like Dhoyi Sen (court poet of lakshman sen), Chakrapani dutta (famous commentator of Charak), Shibdas Sen etc.