The IndianClassical languages, or theŚāstrīya Bhāṣā(Hindi) or theDhrupadī Bhāṣā (Assamese, Bengali) or theAbhijāta Bhāṣā (Marathi) or theCemmoḻi (Tamil), is anumbrella term for thelanguages of India having high antiquity, and valuable, original and distinctliterary heritage.[1] TheGovernment of India declared in 2004 that languages that met certain strict criteria could be accorded the status of aclassical language of India.[2] It was instituted by theMinistry of Culture along with the Linguistic Experts' Committee. The committee was constituted by the Government of India to consider demands for the categorisation of languages asclassical languages. In 2004,Tamil became the first language to be recognised as aclassical language of India. As of 2024, 11 languages have been recognised asclassical languages of India. The Rajasthani language has a history spanning approximately 1500 years, with its roots in Sauraseni Prakrit and Vedic Sanskrit, and a distinct linguistic pattern emerging around 1050 AD with the development of Maru-Gurjar.[3]
In the year 2004, the tentative criteria for the age of antiquity of "classical language" was assumed to be at least 1000 years of existence.[2]
The Central Government has revised the criteria 3 times.
The following criteria were set during the timeTamil was given the classical language status by thegovernment of India:[4]
- High Antiquity of its early texts/ recorded history over a thousand years.
- A body of ancient literature/ texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generation of speakers.
- The literary tradition must be original and not borrowed from another speech community.[4]
The following criteria were set during the timeSanskrit was given the classical language status by thegovernment of India
- High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years.
- body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers.
- The literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community.
- The classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.[4]
After classical language status was granted to Tamil in 2004, there were similar demands for other languages.[5] SubsequentlyTelugu (2008),Kannada (2008),Malayalam (2013) andOdia (2014) were given the status.[4]
The following criteria were set by theSahitya Akademi:[4]
i. High antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500–2000 years.
ii. A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a heritage by generations of speakers.
iii. Knowledge texts, especially prose texts in addition to poetry, epigraphical and inscriptional evidence.
iv. The Classical Languages and literature could be distinct from its current form or could be discontinuous with later forms of its offshoots.[4]
Assamese,Bengali,Marathi,Pali andPrakrit were given the classical language status in October 2024.[4][6]
Upon dropping the criteria for "original literary tradition", the Linguistic Expert Committee justified their decision by stating the following:[7]
“We discussed it in detail and understood that it was a very difficult thing to prove or disprove as all ancient languages borrowed from each other, but recreated the texts in their own way. On the contrary, archaeological, historical and numismatic evidence are tangible things”
— Linguistic Expert Committee[8]
As per Government of India's Resolution No. 2-16/2004-US (Akademies) dated 1 November 2004, the benefits that will accrue to a language declared as a "Classical Language" are:[9]
The recognition of these classical languages will give job employment opportunities, especially in academic and research areas. Moreover, the preservation, documentation, and digitization of ancient texts of these languages will provide employment opportunities to people in archiving, translation, publishing, and digital media.[4]
| Language | Earliest attestation | Language family | Language branch | Living orDead | Date recognised |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| தமிழ்,Tamil | Between 300 BCE–700 CE (old Tamil)[10][11][a] | Dravidian | South Dravidian | Living | 12 October 2004[12] |
| संस्कृतम्,Sanskrit | ~1500 BCE (Vedic Sanskrit)[13][14] | Indo-European | Indo-Aryan | Dead[15] | 25 November 2005[12] |
| ಕನ್ನಡ,Kannada | 450-1200 CE (old Kannada)[16] | Dravidian | South Dravidian | Living[17] | 31 October 2008[18] |
| తెలుగు,Telugu | 575 CE[19] | South-Central Dravidian | |||
| മലയാളം,Malayalam | ~830 CE[20] | South Dravidian | 23 May 2013[21] | ||
| ଓଡ଼ିଆ,Odia | Between 600-700 CE (earliest work in Apabhramsa in 8th century)[22][23][24] | Indo-European | Eastern Indo-Aryan | 20 February 2014[9] | |
| অসমীয়া,Assamese | Between 600-700 CE (earliest work in Apabhramsa in 8th century)[25][26][27][24] | 3 October 2024[4] | |||
| বাংলা,Bengali | Between 600-700 CE (earliest work in Apabhramsa in 8th century)[28][29][30][24] | ||||
| मराठी/𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲,Marathi | 1000 CE (old Marathi)[31][32][33][34] | Southern Indo-Aryan | |||
| 𑀧𑀸𑀮𑀺/ 𐨤𐨫𐨁/ បាលី/ ပါဠိ/ପାଳି/บาลี/ පාලි/ পালি/ पालि,Pali | Between ~300-100 BCE[35] | Middle Indo-Aryan | Dead[17] | ||
| Prakrit | Between 500-100 BCE[36] |
Meitei, orManipuri, is a language ofSino-Tibetan linguistic family, having a long literary tradition.[37][38]
Maithili is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language with a literary tradition that traces its roots back to the 7th and 8th centuries. The earliest known example of Maithili can be found in theMandar Hill Sen inscription from the 7th century, which provides evidence of its ancient lineage.[39] Additionally, theCharyapada, a collection of Buddhist mystical songs from the 8th century, also reflects the early development of Maithili.[40] The language is predominantly spoken in theMithila region, encompassing parts of present-day Bihar, Jharkhand and Nepal. Maithili's rich literary heritage includes epic poetry, philosophical texts, and devotional songs, such as the works of the 14th-century poetVidyapati. Though it has a distinct script,Tirhuta, Devanagari is commonly used today. Despite its profound historical and cultural significance, Maithili has yet to be recognized as a "classical language" by the Government of India, leading to ongoing demands for such recognition.[41][42]
| Languages | Money granted (in million pounds) in 2011-2012[43] | Money granted (in million pounds) in 2012-2013[43] |
|---|---|---|
| Kannada | 0.072 | 0.25 |
| Telugu | 0.072 | 0.25 |
| Tamil | 1.55 | 0.745 |
| Sanskrit | 19.38 | 21.22 |
Besides the literary achievements, the status of classical language is granted, sometimes influenced by the political parties of the states or union territories of the respective languages where these are spoken or are based in, or the national parties, advocating for the certain languages to be accorded the demanded status.[44]
| Languages declared as "classical" | Political parties (involved in advocacy) | State/UT/National level parties | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamil | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam andUPA Government | Tamil Nadu and national | [45][46] |
| Telugu | Telugu Desam Party and UPA Government | United Andhra and National | [47] |
| Kannada | Bharatiya Janata Party andUPA Government | Karnataka and national | [48] |
| Odia | UPA Government andBiju Janata Dal | National andOdisha | [49] |
| Bengali | Trinamool Congress andBharatiya Janata Party | West Bengal and national | [50] |
| Bengali | Amra Bangali | Tripura | [51] |
| Marathi | Maharashtra Navnirman Sena,Shiv Sena | Maharashtra | [52][53] |
| Marathi | Bharatiya Janata Party,Indian National Congress | National | [54][55][56] |
A lawyer from theMadras High Court legally challenged against the official classical status of Malayalam and Odia, in 2015.[57] There was a long legal proceeding for almost one year. Later, theMadras High Court disposed the case against the mentioned languages' status of being officially "classical" in 2016.[58][59][60]
Classical Sanskrit was elegantly described in one of the finest grammars ever produced, the Aṣṭādhyāyī ("Eight Chapters") composed by Pāṇini (c. 6th–5th century BCE).
To find out the written specimens of the Assamese literature, we are to go back to the period of the songs and aphorisms composed by the Buddhist Siddhacharyas between the 8th and the 12th centuries A.D.
Assamese literary tradition dates to the 13th century. Prose texts, notably buranjis (historical works), began to appear in the 16th century.
Charyapads are considered as the first written specimen of Assamese literature.
The Bengali linguists Suniti Kumar Chatterji and Sukumar Sen suggested that Bengali had its origin in the 10th century ce, deriving from Magahi Prakrit (a spoken language) through Magahi Apabhramsha (its written counterpart).
The Bengali scholar Muhammad Shahidullah and his followers offered a competing theory, suggesting that the language began in the 7th century CE and developed from spoken and written Gauda (also, respectively, a Prakrit and an Apabhramsha).
…a Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary compiled by Li-Yen bears testimony to the fact that at least 51 Bangla words made their way into that dictionary…The Chinese-Sanskrit dictionary, compiled in the 8th Century CE, included or rather was compelled to include words of a third language, i.e., Bangla.
The Marathi language's first known inscription dates back to around 2200 years ago, found in the Naneghata inscription, where the term "Maharathino" was used. This inscription, written in the Brahmi script, proves that the language must have existed at least a few centuries before.
Marathi literature is the oldest of the Indo-Aryan literatures, dating to about 1000 ce.