Another name for barbers. Derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Ambishta’, which means physician. During the time that barbers used to ply their trade by visiting homes, they also used to act as physicians. The word got corrupted into Ambitta.

They also call themselves pandits. Once when Buddha was on his way to a forest to meditate, several thousands of people thronged to see him. Buddha wanted to have his head shaved before he set out and so he asked whether there was anyone in the public who could do it for him. Only one man stepped forward. Buddha said that he was pandit since he was not ashamed to do his job in public. From then on, barbers called themselves pandits too.

The Kathasaritasagara has a story on the intelligence of barbers. Once there was a king called Dridhavarma. Once, when his father was out for a walk, he saw his barber’s wife and was infatuated with her. He thought the barber wouldn’t be able to harm him, so he went to their house and started a relationship with her. This became a habit, and soon the barber came to know of it. Since he had no way of confronting the king, he made a different plan. He fasted and made himself very lean, and went to the palace to do his duty. The king asked him why he had become so lean. Though he remained silent for some time, the king finally pressed him to answer. He told the king that when he slept, his wife took his intestines out through his body cavity, ate up the food and kept it back regularly. The king wondered if the same was being done to him and decided to watch her that night. The barber finished his work, went home and pretended to be agitated. When his wife asked him the reason, he told her that the king had developed teeth in his anal region. Hearing this, she wanted to see it too. As usual, the king came to her later, but pretended to be asleep. She decided to see it for herself, but the moment she tried, the king got up, screamed at her and ran away, as per Kathasaritasagara Madanamanjukalambaka Taranga 6.