BrittScotto5 at 11:55, 25 February 2026

2026-02-25T11:55:19Z

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{{Short description|Western Pahari language of north India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Bilaspuri
| altname = Kahluri
| nativename = 𑚠𑚮𑚥𑚭𑚨𑚞𑚱𑚤𑚯, बिलासपूरी, <br />𑚊𑚩𑚥𑚱𑚤𑚯, कहलूरी
| states = [[India]]
| region = [[Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh]]
| speakers = {{sigfig|296,000|2}}
| date = 2011
| ref = e25
| familycolor = Indo-European
| fam2 = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]
| fam3 = [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]]
| fam4 = [[Northern Indo-Aryan languages|Northern]]
| fam5 = [[Western Pahari]]
| script = [[Devanagari]], [[Takri]]
| nation =
| iso3 = kfs
| glotto = bila1253
| glottorefname = Bilaspuri
| notice = Indic
| image = Bilaspuri language.png
| imagecaption = Bilaspuri and Kahluri written in Takri Script
}}
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}
'''Bilaspuri''' ([[Takri script|Himachali Takri]]: {{Lang|kfs|𑚠𑚮𑚥𑚭𑚨𑚞𑚱𑚤𑚯}}), or '''Kahluri''' ([[Takri script|Takri]]:{{Lang|kfs|𑚊𑚩𑚥𑚱𑚤𑚯}}) is a [[Western Pahari|Western Pahari language]] spoken in northern [[India]], predominantly in the [[Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh|Bilaspur district]] of [[Himachal Pradesh]].<ref name=e25/> It is associated with the people of the former princely state of [[Bilaspur State|Bilaspur]] in the Hills State.

Bilaspuri is classified as one of the varieties of the [[Western Pahari|Himachali language]] group. According to the 2011 Census, the speakers of Bilaspuri/Kahluri are 295,805.<ref>[https://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/C-16_25062018_NEW.pdf 2011 Census] censusindia.gov.in {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521101450/https://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/C-16_25062018_NEW.pdf |date=21 May 2020 }}</ref>

The dialect of the hilly part of [[Hoshiarpur district]] is also known as ''Pahāṛī'' ([[Takri script|Takri]]: {{Lang|kfs|𑚞𑚩𑚭𑚪𑚯}}).<ref>{{Cite book| last = Masica| first = Colin P.|author-link = Colin Masica| title = The Indo-Aryan languages| series = Cambridge language surveys| date = 1991| publisher = Cambridge University Press| isbn = 978-0-521-23420-7|page=439}}</ref>

== Phonology ==
=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
!rowspan=2|
!colspan=2| [[Front vowel|Front]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Central vowel|Central]]
! colspan="2" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|- class=small
|- class=small
! [[Short vowel|short]]
! [[Long vowel|long]]
! short
! long
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
|{{IPA link|ɪ}}, {{IPA link|ʏ}}
| {{IPA link|iː}}, {{IPA link|yː}}
| {{IPA link|ɨ}}
|{{IPA link|ɯ}}, {{IPA link|ʊ}}
| {{IPA link|uː}}
|-
! [[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
|
| {{IPA link|eː}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA link|ə}}
|
| {{IPA link|oː}}
|-
! [[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|
| {{IPA link|æː}}
|
| {{IPA link|ɔː}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| colspan=2|
| {{IPA link|ä|aː}}
| colspan=2|
|}

=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
! colspan=2|
! [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! [[Dental consonant|Dental]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Post-alv.]]/<br />[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan=2| [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n̪|n}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɳ}}
|
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan=2| [[Stop consonant|Stop]]/<br />[[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! {{small|plain}}
| {{IPA link|p}}⠀{{IPA link|b}}
| {{IPA link|t̪|t}}⠀{{IPA link|d̪|d}}
|
| {{IPA link|ʈ}}⠀{{IPA link|ɖ}}
| {{IPA link|tɕ}}⠀{{IPA link|dʑ}}
| {{IPA link|k}}⠀{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|-
! {{small|[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]}}
| {{IPA link|pʰ}} {{IPA link|bʱ}}
| {{IPA link|tʰ}} {{IPA link|dʱ}}
|
| {{IPA link|ʈʰ}} {{IPA link|ɖʱ}}
| {{IPA link|tɕʰ}} {{IPA link|dʑʱ}}
| {{IPA link|kʰ}} {{IPA link|ɡʱ}}
|
|-
! colspan=2| [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|
|
| {{IPA link|s}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|h}}
|-
! colspan=2| [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|{{IPA link|w}}
| {{IPA link|l̪|l}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɭ}}
| {{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|-
! colspan=2| [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
| {{IPA link|r̪|r}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɽ}}
|
|
|
|}

== Dialects ==
Following are the five dialects of Bilaspuri:

# North-east Bilaspuri: (north-east of Kumar Hati); resemblance with [[Mandeali]] and Baghliani dialect of [[Mahasu Pahari|Mahasui]] of [[Arki, India|Arki]] tehsil of [[Solan district]].
# North Bilaspuri: (north of Kumar Hati); resemblance with [[Mandeali]].
# West Bilaspuri: shares resemblance with [[Kangri language|Kangri]].
# Central Bilaspuri: Bilaspur (historic) town and surrounding area; shares resemblance with Baghliani dialect of [[Mahasu Pahari|Mahasui]] of [[Arki, India|Arki]] tehsil of [[Solan district]].
# Davin or Daur: east and south-east of Bilaspur (historic town) shares resemblance with [[Hinduri language|Hinduri]], a dialect of [[Keonthal|Keonthali]] sub group of [[Mahasu Pahari|Mahasui]].

The dialects of Kahluri are so closely allied that one might call them one dialect Kahluri or Bilaspuri.<ref>{{Cite book|title=PLSI The Languages of Himachal Pradesh, Volume Eleven, Part Two|publisher=Orient Blackswan|pages=130}}</ref>

== Writing system ==
The native script of the language is [[Takri script]].
{{wiktionary category 2|Bilaspuri language}}

== Proverbs ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!𑚊𑚩𑚥𑚱𑚤𑚯 (𑚠𑚮𑚥𑚭𑚨𑚞𑚱𑚤𑚯)
!कहलूरी (बिलासपूरी)
!Transliteration (Roman ITRANS)
!Equivalent Idiom in English
|-
|𑚏𑚥𑚯 𑚝𑚯𑚫 𑚈𑚆 𑚀𑚞𑚱𑚫 𑚙𑚲 𑚟𑚮𑚔𑚲𑚢𑚱𑚫𑚩 𑚌𑚴𑚖𑚲𑚣𑚭𑚫𑚤𑚲
|चली नीं ओए अप्पूं ते फिट्टेमूंह गोड्डेयांरे
|chalI nIM oe appUM te phiTTemUMha goDDeyAMre
|A bad workman quarrels with his own tools.
|-
|𑚑𑚠𑚤𑚲 𑚤𑚭 𑚞𑚙𑚶𑚚𑚤 𑚊𑚶𑚦𑚭𑚥𑚮𑚣𑚭
|जबरे रा पत्थर क्वालिया
|jabare rA patthara kvAliyA
|Might is right.
|-
|𑚀𑚞𑚘𑚯𑚣𑚲𑚫 𑚟𑚱𑚔𑚯𑚣𑚲𑚫 𑚝𑚲𑚩𑚤𑚭
|अपणीयें फूटीयें नेहरा
|apaNIyeM phUTIyeM neharA
|Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.
|-
|𑚀𑚞𑚘𑚭 𑚨𑚳 𑚀𑚞𑚘𑚭, 𑚞𑚤𑚭𑚣𑚭 𑚨𑚳 𑚞𑚤𑚭𑚣𑚭
|अपणा से अपणा, पराया से पराया
|apaNA se apaNA, parAyA se parAyA
|Blood is thicker than water.
|-
|𑚜𑚲𑚥𑚭 𑚁𑚃 𑚑𑚭𑚫𑚛𑚭 𑚞𑚤 𑚠𑚲𑚥𑚭 𑚝𑚃𑚫 𑚉𑚫𑚛𑚭
|धेला आई जांदा पर बेला नईं औंदा
|dhelA AI jAMdA para belA naIM auMdA
|Time once lost cannot be got back
|-
|𑚜𑚭𑚝𑚭𑚤𑚲 𑚸𑚲𑚙 𑚞𑚤𑚭𑚥𑚭 𑚙𑚲 𑚝𑚑𑚤𑚯 𑚁𑚃 𑚑𑚭𑚫𑚛𑚲/
𑚑𑚮𑚝𑚲𑚫 𑚤𑚵𑚫𑚛𑚲𑚣𑚭𑚫 𑚑𑚭𑚘𑚭 𑚙𑚮𑚝𑚲 𑚢𑚤𑚱𑚤𑚲𑚣𑚭𑚫 𑚤𑚯 𑚃 𑚸𑚠𑚤 𑚥𑚶𑚣𑚭𑚅𑚘𑚯
|धानारे खेत पराला ते नजरी आई जांदे/
जिनें रौंदेयां जाणा तिने मरूरेयां री ई खबर ल्याऊणी
|dhAnAre kheta parAlA te najarI AI jAMde/
jineM rauMdeyAM jANA tine marUreyAM rI I khabara lyAUNI
|Coming events cast their shadows beforehand.
|-
|𑚩𑚲𑚥 𑚠𑚲𑚠𑚲 𑚩𑚲𑚥 𑚢𑚲𑚤𑚭 𑚀𑚫𑚌𑚘 𑚙𑚲𑚤𑚯 𑚛𑚲𑚩𑚥𑚷
|हेल बेबे हेल मेरा अंगण तेरी देहळ
|hela bebe hela merA aMgaNa terI dehaLa
|To waste time by loitering.
|-
|𑚠𑚩𑚰𑚆 𑚏𑚑𑚶𑚑𑚲-𑚏𑚭𑚤𑚲𑚫 𑚝𑚯𑚫 𑚈𑚫𑚌𑚯 𑚙𑚭𑚫 𑚌𑚥𑚶𑚥𑚲𑚫 𑚛𑚲𑚸𑚲𑚣𑚭𑚫 𑚁𑚤𑚛𑚯
|बहुए चज्जे-चारें नीं ओंगी तां गल्लें देखेयां आरदी
|bahue chajje-chAreM nIM oMgI tAM galleM dekheyAM AradI
|If not competent in deeds, why not boast in words?
|-
|𑚜𑚯𑚆 𑚜𑚢𑚭𑚊𑚪𑚭 𑚊𑚝𑚶𑚝 𑚊𑚤 𑚠𑚩𑚰𑚆
|धीए धमाकड़ा कन्न कर बहुए
|dhIe dhamAka.DA kanna kara bahue
|To speak to someone but to mean it for some other.
|-
|𑚑𑚮𑚨𑚤𑚲 𑚀𑚙𑚶𑚚𑚲 𑚥𑚴𑚃 𑚙𑚮𑚨𑚤𑚭 𑚨𑚠 𑚊𑚴𑚃
|जिसरे अत्थे लोई तिसरा सब कोई
|jisare atthe loI tisarA saba koI
|One who can reward can win hearts
|-
|𑚸𑚶𑚦𑚭𑚑𑚲𑚤𑚭 𑚌𑚶𑚦𑚭' 𑚢𑚮𑚖𑚊
|ख्वाजेरा ग्वाऽ मिडक
|khvAjerA gvA.a miDaka
|Birds of same feather flock together
|-
|𑚠𑚲𑚛𑚲 𑚁𑚃 𑚑𑚫𑚌 𑚙𑚭𑚫 𑚠𑚮𑚝 𑚊𑚰𑚪𑚮𑚣𑚲 𑚤𑚲 𑚊𑚝𑚶𑚝
|बेदे आई जंग तां बिन कुड़िये रे कन्न
|बेदे आई जंग तां बिन कुड़िये रे कन्न
|
|}

== Status ==
The language is commonly called [[Pahari language|Pahari]] or [[Western Pahari|Himachali]]. Before independence there were certain institutions which enjoyed states patronage to publish in Kahluri. All of these institutions today lie in ruins since independence to favour Hindi. With no institute that imparts teaching for this language, the language/dialect is endangered due to dominance of other recognised languages like Hindi.

The demand for the inclusion of 'Pahari (Himachali)' under the Eight Schedule of the Constitution, which is supposed to represent multiple Pahari languages of Himachal Pradesh, had been made in the year 2010 by the [[Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly|state's Vidhan Sabha]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pahari Inclusion|work=Zee News|url=https://zeenews.india.com/news/himachal-pradesh/hp-for-inclusion-of-pahari-language-in-eighth-schedule_615857.html}}</ref> There has been no positive progress on this matter since then even when small organisations are striving to save the language.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pahari Inclusion|work=The Statesman|url=https://www.thestatesman.com/cities/demand-for-pahari-as-language-in-8th-schedule-of-constitution-1479046804.html}}</ref> The language is recorded under Western Pahari group of languages, which was done on the basis of the conclusion made by linguists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/subgroups/western-pahari|title=Western Pahari|accessdate=8 March 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{incubator|kfs}}
* Singh, Amitjit. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20011201045942/http://asnic.utexas.edu/asnic/sagar/sagar4.1.html#RTFToC1#RTFToC1 The Language Divide in Punjab.]" ''Sagar'', Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 1997.

{{Western Pahari languages}}

[[Category:Indo-Aryan languages]]
[[Category:Northern Indo-Aryan languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Languages written in Takri]]
[[Category:Languages written in Devanagari]]
[[Category:Endangered languages of India]]

{{IndoAryan-lang-stub}}

Bilaspuri - Revision history

BrittScotto5 at 11:55, 25 February 2026