View source for Classical languages of India-242784

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}}
The Indian '''classical languages''' are the [[languages of India]] perceived as having high antiquity, and valuable, original and distinct [[Indian literature|literary heritage]].<ref name="dnaindia.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-reviving-classical-languages-2113875|title=Reviving classical languages – Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis|date=13 August 2015|website=Dnaindia.com|access-date=28 December 2017|archive-date=21 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921084048/https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-reviving-classical-languages-2113875|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Government of India]] declared in 2004 that languages that met certain strict criteria could be accorded the status of a ''classical language of India''.<ref name="bbcclassical">{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3667032.stm |publisher=BBC |title=India sets up classical languages |access-date=1 May 2007 |date=17 September 2004 |archive-date=4 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304074807/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3667032.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> It was instituted by the [[Ministry of Culture (India)|Ministry 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 as [[classical language]]s. In 2004, [[Tamil language|Tamil]] became the first language to be recognised as a ''classical language of India''. As of 2024, 11 languages have been recognised as ''classical languages of India''.

==Criteria==
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.<ref name="bbcclassical" />

The Central Government has revised the criteria 3 times.

=== Criteria in 2004 ===
The following criteria were set during the time [[Tamil language|Tamil]] was given the classical language status by the [[government of India]]:<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Cabinet approves conferring status of Classical Language to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali languages |url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2061660 |website=[[Press Information Bureau]]}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|
*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.<ref name=":1" />}}

=== Criteria in 2005 ===
The following criteria were set during the time [[Sanskrit]] was given the classical language status by the [[government of India]]

{{Blockquote|
*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.<ref name=":1" />}}

After classical language status was granted to Tamil in 2004, there were similar demands for other languages.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 April 2018 |title=Clamour grows for Marathi to be given classical language status |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/clamour-grows-for-marathi-to-be-given-classical-language-status/articleshow/63776578.cms |access-date=29 December 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> Subsequently [[Telugu language|Telugu]] (2008), [[Kannada]] (2008), [[Malayalam]] (2013) and [[Odia language|Odia]] (2014) were given the status.<ref name=":1" />

=== Criteria in 2024 ===
The following criteria were set by the [[Ministry of Culture]]:<ref name=":1" />
{{Blockquote|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.<ref name=":1" />}}

[[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Pali]] and [[Prakrit]] were given the classical language status in October 2024.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Chakrabarty">{{Cite news |last=Chakrabarty |first=Sreeparna |date=6 October 2024 |title=Five languages got classical status after 'original literary tradition' norm was dropped |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/five-languages-got-classical-status-after-original-literary-tradition-norm-was-dropped/article68724949.ece?_gl=1*km07zc*_ga*YW1wLWVuaDZKRVFQVG92c2taOUFUQkxfMWhMdXctblNkc3VuRllvSnhJYUlCUF9ydkk1SmNZdFJzblZpUEtJSDJnSkk.*_ga_MHCVDGHV0S*MTcyODMzMjY2NC4xLjEuMTcyODMzMjY2NS4wLjAuMA.. |access-date=7 October 2024 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

Upon dropping the criteria for "original literary tradition", the Linguistic Expert Committee justified their decision by stating the following:<ref name="Chakrabarty" />
{{Blockquote|“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<ref name="Chakrabarty" />}}

==Benefits==
=== Academic opportunities ===
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:<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=98244|title=Classical Status to Odiya Language|publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India|date=14 August 2013|access-date=18 January 2023|archive-date=11 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311174721/https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=98244|url-status=live}}</ref>

# Two major international awards for scholars of eminence in Classical Indian Languages are awarded annually.
# A Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages is set up.
# The [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]] will be requested to create, to start with at least in the Central Universities, a certain number of Professional Chairs for Classical Languages for scholars of eminence in Classical Indian Languages.<ref name=":0" />

=== Job employment opportunities ===
The recognition of these classical languages will give job employment opportunities, especially in academic and research areas. Moreover, the preservation, documentation, and digitisation of ancient texts of these languages will provide employment opportunities to people in archiving, translation, publishing, and digital media.<ref name=":1" />

== Officially recognised classical languages ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
! Language
! Earliest attestation 
! Language family
! Language branch
![[Living language|Living]] or [[Dead language|Dead]]
! Date recognised
|-
! span="row" | {{langx|ta|தமிழ்|[[Tamil language|Tamil]]|label=none}}
| ~300 BCE <ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100707000020/http://www.ciil-classicaltamil.org/project1.html Definitive Editions of Ancient Tamil Works]}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Abraham |first1=S.A. |title=Chera, Chola, Pandya: Using Archaeological Evidence to Identify the Tamil Kingdoms of Early Historic South India |url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/17189/1/AP-v42n2-207-223.pdf |journal=Asian Perspectives |volume=42 |issue=2 |page=207 |year=2003 |s2cid=153420843 |doi=10.1353/asi.2003.0031 |hdl=10125/17189 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name="companion">{{Harvnb|Zvelebil|1992|p=12}}: "...the most acceptable periodisation which has so far been suggested for the development of Tamil writing seems to me to be that of A Chidambaranatha Chettiar (1907–1967): 1. Sangam Literature – 200BC to AD 200; 2. Post Sangam literature – AD 200 – AD 600; 3. Early Medieval literature – AD 600 to AD 1200; 4. Later Medieval literature – AD 1200 to AD 1800; 5. Pre-Modern literature – AD 1800 to 1900"</ref><ref name="Maloney1970">{{citation |last=Maloney |first=C. |title=The Beginnings of Civilization in South India |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=603–616 |year=1970 |jstor=2943246 |doi=10.2307/2943246|s2cid=162291987 }} at p. 610</ref><ref name="Palani">{{citation |last=Subramaniam |first=T.S. |title=Palani excavation triggers fresh debate |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article2408091.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |date=29 August 2011}}</ref>

| [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]]
| [[South Dravidian languages|South Dravidian]]
|Living
| 12 October 2004<ref name="notif">{{cite web|url=https://www.indiaculture.gov.in/sites/default/files/notification/N_1048_1631869099665.pdf |title=Notification |date=25 November 2005 |access-date=21 January 2024 }}</ref>
|-
! span="row" | {{langx|sa|संस्कृतम्|[[Sanskrit]]|label=none}}
|~100 BCE {{efn|Originally orally transmitted. Not [[Attested language|attested]] in writing until the 1st century BCE, when it was written in the [[Brahmi script]], and later in various [[Brahmic scripts]].}}<ref name="JainCardona2007-script1">{{cite book|last=Jain|first=Dhanesh |editor=George Cardona |editor2=Dhanesh Jain |title=The Indo-Aryan Languages|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OtCPAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA51|year=2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-79711-9|pages=47–66, 51|chapter=Sociolinguistics of the Indo-Aryan languages |quote=In the history of Indo-Aryan, writing was a later development and its adoption has been slow even in modern times. The first written word comes to us through Asokan inscriptions dating back to the third century BC. Originally, Brahmi was used to write Prakrit (MIA); for Sanskrit (OIA) it was used only four centuries later (Masica 1991: 135). The MIA traditions of Buddhist and Jain texts show greater regard for the written word than the OIA Brahminical tradition, though writing was available to Old Indo-Aryans.}}</ref><ref name="JainCardona2007-script2">{{cite book |last=Salomon |first=Richard |author-link=Richard G. Salomon (professor of Asian studies) |editor=George Cardona |editor2=Dhanesh Jain|title=The Indo-Aryan Languages |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OtCPAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA67 |year=2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-79711-9 |pages=67–102 |chapter=The Writing Systems of the Indo-Aryan Languages |quote=Although in modern usage Sanskrit is most commonly written or printed in Nagari, in theory, it can be represented by virtually any of the main Brahmi-based scripts, and in practice it often is. Thus scripts such as Gujarati, Bangla, and Oriya, as well as the major south Indian scripts, traditionally have been and often still are used in their proper territories for writing Sanskrit. Sanskrit, in other words, is not inherently linked to any particular script, although it does have a special historical connection with Nagari.}}</ref>
| [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]]
| [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]]
|Living<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graphics |first=Online |title=Sanskrit has never been dead|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/codegyan/sanskrit-has-never-been-dead-53797/|access-date=7 July 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Graphics |first=Online |title=Living Status of Sanskrit Language |url=https://patnawomenscollege.in/upload/Explore%20Vol.%20V/t13_abs63_71.pdf |access-date=7 July 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref>
| 25 November 2005<ref name="notif" />
|-
! span="row" | {{langx|kn|ಕನ್ನಡ|[[Kannada]]|label=none}}
| 450 CE<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 October 2023 |title=Kannada language {{!}} History, Script & Dialects {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kannada-language |access-date=9 November 2023 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=2 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102054322/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kannada-language |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rowspan="3" | [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]]
| [[South Dravidian languages|South Dravidian]]
| rowspan="7" |Living<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=PTI |date=4 October 2024 |title=5 new Indian classical languages, 3 living and 2 dead |url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/politics/bengali-marathi-among-5-new-classical-languages-approved-by-cabinet?_gl=1*12pamnq*_ga*QVZXUm5GWGtpSktnWTFSVlJtMWNaa0s0cWFHRWNJR21SSmNaSWdlVEFzUE1qZWd6RmI4RElMNDVVdFFSWjhtaQ..*_ga_WES9VP9ML6*MTcyODMzMzEzMi4xLjEuMTcyODMzMzEzMi4wLjAuMA.. |access-date=7 October 2024 |website=National Herald |language=en}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" | 31 October 2008<ref name="antiquity">{{cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=44340|title=Declaration of Telugu and Kannada as classical languages|work=Press Information Bureau|publisher=Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India|access-date=31 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233830/http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=44340|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>
|-
! span="row" | {{langx|te|తెలుగు|[[Telugu language|Telugu]]|label=none}}
| 575 CE<ref name="Hindu3">[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/article1971071.ece The Hindu News: Telugu is 2,400 years old, says ASI] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903183458/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/article1971071.ece|date=3 September 2015}} "The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has joined the Andhra Pradesh Official Languages Commission to say that early forms of the Telugu language and its script indeed existed 2,400 years ago"</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 November 2023 |title=Telugu language {{!}} Origin, History, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Telugu-language |access-date=9 November 2023 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=21 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921084212/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Telugu-language |url-status=live }}</ref>
| [[South-Central Dravidian]]
|-
! span="row" | {{langx|ml|മലയാളം|[[Malayalam]]|label=none}}
| 849 CE<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Devadevan |first=Manu V. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=exzhDwAAQBAJ&q=The+%E2%80%98Early+Medieval%27+Origins+of+India |title=The 'Early Medieval' Origins of India |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-108-49457-1 |location= |pages=126–28 |chapter=Changes in Land Relations and the Changing Fortunes of the Cera State}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Malayalam language {{!}} Dravidian, India, Scripts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Malayalam-language |access-date=9 November 2023 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=16 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116043910/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Malayalam-language |url-status=live }}</ref>
| [[South Dravidian languages|South Dravidian]]
| 23 May 2013<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=96184 |title=Classifying Malaylam as 'Classical Language' |website=PIB |date=23 May 2013 |access-date=21 January 2024 |archive-date=19 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819143900/https://archive.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=96184 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! span="row" | {{langx|or|ଓଡ଼ିଆ|[[Odia language|Odia]]|label=none}}
| Between 600 and 700 CE (earliest work in Apabhramsa in 8th century)<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 October 2023 |title=Odia language {{!}} Region, History, & Basics {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odia-language |access-date=9 November 2023 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="britannica.com">{{Cite web |date=26 November 2024 |title=Bengali literature {{!}} History, Rabindranath Tagore, Poetry, Novels, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Bengali-literature |access-date=29 December 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last1=Jain |first1=Danesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iUHfBQAAQBAJ |title=The Indo-Aryan Languages |last2=Cardona |first2=George |date=26 July 2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-79710-2 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rajaguru |first=Satyanarayan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BswxmAEACAAJ |title=Inscriptions of Orissa: C. 600-1100 A.D. |date=1966 |publisher=Gouri Kumar Brahma, M.A., D. Ed. |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mahapatra |first=B. P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yU8nq-C6wnoC&pg=PA389 |title=Constitutional languages |date=1989 |publisher=Presses Université Laval |isbn=978-2-7637-7186-1 |language=en}}</ref>
| rowspan="7" | [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]]
| [[Eastern Indo-Aryan languages|Eastern Indo-Aryan]]
| 20 February 2014<ref name=":0" />
|-
!অসমীয়া, ''[[Assamese language|Assamese]]''
|Between 600 and 700 CE (earliest work in Apabhramsa in 8th century)<ref>{{Cite book |date=9 February 2025 |title=Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections |isbn=978-81-260-0365-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYLpvaKJIMEC&pg=PA3 |language=en |quote=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. |author1=Ayyappappanikkar |publisher=Sahitya Akademi }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=31 August 2024 |title=Assamese language {{!}} Assamese Dialects, Brahmaputra Valley & Eastern India {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Assamese-language |access-date=3 October 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |quote=Assamese literary tradition dates to the 13th century. Prose texts, notably buranjis (historical works), began to appear in the 16th century.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=31 August 2024 |title=Charyapads as the Oldest Written Specimen of Assamese Literature|url=https://www.neliti.com/publications/429892/charyapads-as-the-oldest-written-specimen-of-assamese-literature#:~:text=While%20dividing%20this%20era%2C%20Charyapad,written%20specimen%20of%20Assamese%20literature.|journal=International Journal of Health Sciences|doi=10.53730/ijhs.v6nS1.6513 |language=en |quote=Charyapads are considered as the first written specimen of Assamese literature. |last1=Deka |first1=Joy Jyoti |last2=Boro |first2=Akashi Tara |pages=7028–7034 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":4" />
| rowspan="2" |Eastern Indo-Aryan
| rowspan="5" |3 October 2024<ref name=":1" />
|-
!বাংলা, [[Bengali language|''Bengali'']]
| Between 600 and 700 CE (earliest work in Apabhramsa in 8th century)<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 August 2024 |title=Bengali language {{!}} History, Writing System & Dialects {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bengali-language |access-date=3 October 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |quote=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).<br/>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).}}</ref><ref name="Mitra">{{cite news |last1=Mitra |first1=Atri |title=Behind Bengali's classical language tag, a Kolkata institute's 2,000-page research document |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/bengalis-classical-language-tag-kolkata-institute-research-9609939/ |access-date=20 October 2024 |work=The Indian Express |date=8 October 2024 |location=Kolkata |quote=…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.}}</ref><ref name="britannica.com"/><ref name=":4" />
|-
!मराठी/𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲, ''[[Marathi language|Marathi]]''
|Between 500 and 700 CE (old Marathi)<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 October 2024 |title=Classical Language status granted to Marathi |url=https://pib.gov.in/FeaturesDeatils.aspx?NoteId=153318&ModuleId+=+2&reg=3&lang=1 |access-date=4 October 2024 |website=pib.gov.in |quote=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.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=31 August 2024 |title=Marathi literature |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Marathi-literature |access-date=3 October 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |quote=Marathi literature is the oldest of the Indo-Aryan literatures, dating to about 1000 ce.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='Kuvalayamālā: Prākr̥tabhāṣānibaddhā campūsvarūpā mahākathā, Part 2'|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4DXAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Marathi%22 | last1=Sūri | first1=Uddyotana | date=1959 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Marathi History |url=http://lisindia.ciil.org/Marathi/Marathi_hist.html |access-date=29 December 2024 |website=lisindia.ciil.org}}</ref>
|[[Southern Indo-Aryan languages|Southern Indo-Aryan]]
|-
!𑀧𑀸𑀮𑀺/ 𐨤𐨫𐨁/ បាលី/ ပါဠိ/ପାଲି/บาลี/ පාලි/ পালি/ पालि, ''[[Pali]]'' 
|Between ~300 and 100 BCE<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 August 2024 |title=Pāli language {{!}} Theravada Buddhism, Pali Canon, India {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pali-language |access-date=3 October 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |[[Middle Indo-Aryan languages|Middle Indo-Aryan]]
| rowspan="2" |Dead<ref name=":2" />
|-
!𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤/ पाइअ, ''[[Prakrit]]''
|Between 500 and 100 BCE<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prakrit |url=https://www.ames.ox.ac.uk/prakrit |access-date=3 October 2024 |website=www.ames.ox.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref>
|}

== Demand from other languages ==
{{Hatnote|This section is about the languages which are described as "classical" by scholars but still not officially recognised as "classical" by the [[Government of India]]. These languages may either have administrative "[[Languages with official status in India|official language]]" or "[[Scheduled languages of India|scheduled language]]" statuses, but these should not be confused with the official "classical language" status.}}

=== Meitei ===
{{Further|Ancient Meitei literature|Meitei classical language movement}}
[[Meitei language|Meitei]], or [[Manipuri language|Manipuri]], is a  language of [[Sino-Tibetan]] linguistic family, having a long literary tradition.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 February 2018 |title='Manipur language which belongs to Tibeto-Burma has touched the criteria of a classical language' |url=https://www.pothashang.in/2018/02/21/manipuri-language-belongs-tibeto-burma-touched-criteria-classical-language/ |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Manipuri is a classical language |url=http://e-pao.net/epPageExtractor.asp?src=MeiteiMayek.Manipuri_is_a_classical_language_By_Free_Thinker.html}}</ref>

=== Maithili ===
{{Further|Maithili literature|Maithili music}}
[[Maithili language|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 the [[Mandar Parvat|Mandar Hill]] Sen inscription from the 7th century, which provides evidence of its ancient lineage.<ref>Choudhary, R. (1976). [https://books.google.com/books?lr=&id=C0f898HDLAYC&pg=PA1 ''A survey of Maithili literature'']. Ram Vilas Sahu.</ref> Additionally, the [[Charyapada]], a collection of Buddhist mystical songs from the 8th century, also reflects the early development of Maithili.<ref>{{cite book |author=Barua, K. L. |year=1933 |title=Early history of Kamarupa |location=Shillong |publisher=Published by the Author |url=https://archive.org/details/EarlyHistoryOfKamarupa}}</ref> The language is predominantly spoken in the [[Mithila (region)|Mithila]] 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 poet [[Vidyapati]]. Though it has a distinct script, [[Tirhuta]], Devanagari is commonly used today. Despite its profound historical and cultural significance, Maithili has yet to be recognised as a "classical language" by the Government of India, leading to ongoing demands for such recognition.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.jagran.com/bihar/madhubani-not-a-single-language-of-bihar-has-become-a-classical-language-yet-maithili-may-be-included-21816443.html |title=बिहार की एक भी भाषा अब तक नहीं बनी शास्त्रीय भाषा, मैथिली हो सकता शामिल|date=9 July 2021 |author=Jagran Team |newspaper=Jagran}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.livehindustan.com/bihar/patna/story-regulatory-action-will-be-taken-to-make-maithili-a-classical-language-10553331.html/|title=मैथिली को शास्त्रीय भाषा के लिए नियमसंगत कार्रवाई होगी|date=26 July 2024|author=Hindustan Team|newspaper=Hindustan|access-date=2 September 2024|archive-date=2 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902085028/https://www.livehindustan.com/bihar/patna/story-regulatory-action-will-be-taken-to-make-maithili-a-classical-language-10553331.html/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Politics ==
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.<ref name="Chavan">{{Cite web |last=Chavan |first=Akshay |date=27 February 2022 |title=Marathi and the Politics of 'Classical' Languages |url=https://www.peepultree.world/livehistoryindia/story/eras/marathi-and-the-politics-of-classical-languages?srsltid=AfmBOoqvvRBTD6SWtTb5yPZpPyXGwzE0sb_zrbPFtahnIHp7aVy251dz |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=PeepulTree |language=en}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Languages declared as "classical"
! Political parties (involved in advocacy)
! State/UT/National level parties
! Notes/Ref.
|-
|Tamil
|[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] and [[UPA Government]]
|[[Tamil Nadu]] and national
|<ref name="Chavan"/><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Fishman |first1=Joshua |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oUydX_3rG0AC&dq=classical+language+tamil+political+parties+dmk&pg=PA239 |title=Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity: The Success-Failure Continuum in Language and Ethnic Identity Efforts (Volume 2) |last2=Garcia |first2=Ofelia |date=21 April 2011 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-983799-1 |pages=239 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Telugu
|[[Telugu Desam Party]] and <br>[[UPA Government]]
|[[United Andhra Pradesh|United Andhra]] and National
|<ref name="Chavan"/>
|-
|Kannada
|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]] and [[UPA Government]]
|[[Karnataka]] and national
|<ref name="Chavan"/>
|-
|Odia
|[[UPA Government]] and [[Biju Janata Dal]]
|National and [[Odisha]]
|<ref name="Chavan"/>
|-
|Bengali
|[[Trinamool Congress]] and [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|[[West Bengal]] and national
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 October 2024 |title=TMC, BJP spar over credit for Bengali getting 'classical language' recognition |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/tmc-bjp-spar-over-credit-for-bengali-getting-classical-language-recognition-9603311/ |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Bengali
|[[Amra Bangali]]
|[[Tripura]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Today |first=North East |date=5 October 2024 |title=Tripura's Amra Bangali Party Pushes for Bengali Language Inclusion in Indian Constitution |url=https://www.northeasttoday.in/2024/10/05/tripuras-amra-bangali-party-pushes-for-bengali-inclusion-in-indian-constitution/ |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=Northeast Today |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| Marathi
| [[Maharashtra Navnirman Sena]], [[Shiv Sena]]
| [[Maharashtra]]
| <ref name="Pandit">{{Cite news |last=Pandit |first=Vinaya Deshpande |date=4 October 2024 |title=Ahead of poll, credit war breaks out in Maharashtra over classical language status to Marathi |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra/ahead-of-poll-credit-war-breaks-out-in-maharashtra-over-classical-language-status-to-marathi/article68719519.ece |access-date=16 October 2024 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=PTI |title=Classical language status to Marathi a result of collective efforts, not single party: Sanjay Raut |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/maharashtra/classical-language-status-to-marathi-a-result-of-collective-efforts-not-single-party-sanjay-raut-3219368 |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| Marathi
| [[Bharatiya Janata Party]], [[Indian National Congress]]
| National
| <ref name="Pandit"/><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=13 May 2024 |title=Will Give Classical Language Status To Marathi After Forming INDIA Govt, Announces Congress - www.lokmattimes.com |url=https://www.lokmattimes.com/maharashtra/will-give-classical-language-status-to-marathi-after-forming-india-govt-announces-congress/ |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=Lokmat Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=PTI |title=Classical language status to Marathi a result of collective efforts, not single party: Sanjay Raut |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/maharashtra/classical-language-status-to-marathi-a-result-of-collective-efforts-not-single-party-sanjay-raut-3219368 |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref>
|}

== Court cases against classical status ==
A lawyer from the [[Madras High Court]] legally challenged against the official classical status of Malayalam and Odia, in 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 March 2015 |title=PIL in Madras HC opposes classical language status for Malayalam, Odia |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pil-in-madras-hc-opposes-classical-language-status-for-malayalam-odia/articleshow/46454207.cms |access-date=16 October 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> There was a long legal proceeding for almost one year. Later, the [[Madras High Court]] disposed the case against the mentioned languages' status of being officially "classical" in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 August 2016 |title=Madras HC disposes of pleas challenging classical status to Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Madras-HC-disposes-of-pleas-challenging-classical-status-to-Kannada-Telugu-Malayalam/article14560305.ece |access-date=16 October 2024 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 September 2016 |title=Madras High Court bats for classical languages |url=https://indialegallive.com/cover-story-articles/il-feature-news/madras-high-court-bats-classical-languages/ |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=India Legal |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 August 2016 |title=Madras High Court disposes plea against classical status to non-Tamil languages |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/language-status-tamil-nadu-kannada-telugu-malayalam-madras-high-court-2961622/ |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Indian classical dance]]
* [[Indian classical music]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Citation | last=Zvelebil | first=Kamil | author-link = Kamil Zvelebil | title=Companion studies to the history of Tamil literature | publisher=Brill | place=Leiden | year=1992 | isbn=978-90-04-09365-2 }}

== External links ==
* [https://www.telegraphindia.com/topic/classical-language?_gl=1*12exe0r*_ga*Z3NoT2xuSWJZUzVJbjd6RDRsbnFiUVJTcHQwdnpUUFN2a1JnRWxIZndVdzF2QzhDdUljNjgwc2pCdnA3bUEyRg..*_ga_H2BD8F4GE7*MTcyODMzNDAzMC4xLjEuMTcyODMzNDAzMC4wLjAuMA..*_ga_SSD7Y8HRYC*MTcyODMzNDAzMC4xLjEuMTcyODMzNDAzMC4wLjAuMA.. Classical languages of India] at [[Telegraph India]]
* [https://www.ifp.co.in/tag/classical-language Classical languages of India] at [[Imphal Free Press|IFP]]
{{Languages of India}}
{{Languages of South Asia}}

[[Category:Languages of India| ]]
[[Category:Classical Language in India]]