Paṇḍā
/pəɳˈɖaː/noun
A Hindu pilgrimage priest or guide, especially one who assists pilgrims at sacred sites.
Did you know?At some Hindu pilgrimage centers, paṇḍās traditionally maintained hereditary registers recording pilgrims’ names, ancestors, and places of origin—turning ritual memory into an archive.
Etymological Timeline
Sanskrit
Sanskrit
paṇḍā
“Wisdom, understanding, or knowledge”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
paṇḍita
“Learned, wise, or knowledgeable person”
Medieval Indo-Aryan
Prakrits
paṇḍia / paṇḍiya
“A learned or religious person”
Medieval Hindi
Hindi
paṇḍā
“A pilgrimage priest or guide”
19th Century
English
panda
“A Hindu priest who assists pilgrims”
Modern English
English
panda
“A Hindu pilgrimage priest or guide; also, in a separate borrowing, the bear-related animal name”