The Indian classical languages are the languages of India perceived as having high antiquity, and valuable, original and distinct literary heritage. Some classical languages of India are recognised by the Ministry of Culture of the Union Government of India, while some are separately recognised by the National Education Policy, specifically the 2020 edition, which is often referred to as the "New Education Policy". Certain classical languages are cited in the academic and scholarly writings and publications, independent of any governmental or institutional recognition. The Government of India declared in 2004 that languages meeting strict criteria could be accorded the status of a classical language of India. It was instituted by the 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 languages. In 2004, 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: the four largest Dravidian languages (Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam), four Indo-Aryan languages that are still spoken (Marathi, Odia, Bengali, Assamese), and three historic Indo-Aryan languages (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit).
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.
The Central Government has revised the criteria 3 times.
Criteria in 2004 The following criteria were set during the time Tamil was given the classical language status by the government of India:
Criteria in 2005 The following criteria were set during the time Sanskrit was given the classical language status by the government of India
After classical language status was granted to Tamil in 2004, there were similar demands for other languages. Subsequently Telugu (2008), Kannada (2008), Malayalam (2013) and Odia (2014) were given the status.
Criteria in 2024 The following criteria were set by the Ministry of Culture:
Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit were given the classical language status in October 2024.
Upon dropping the criteria for "original literary tradition", the Linguistic Expert Committee justified their decision by stating the following:
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:
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 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.
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.
Recognition by the Ministry of Culture Language Earliest attestation Language family Language branch Date recognised Word/Place name Epigraphy/Unbroken literary Tamil 580 BCE ~300 BCE (written): "...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" at p. 610 Dravidian South Dravidian 12 October 2004 Sanskrit~1500 BCE (oral)~1500 BCE (oral); 100 CE (written) Indo-European Indo-Aryan 25 November 2005 Kannada The word Isila found in the Ashokan inscription (called the Brahmagiri edict from Karnataka) meaning to shoot an arrow, is a Kannada word, indicating that Kannada was a spoken language in the 3rd century BC (D.L. Narasimhachar in Kamath 2001, p5) 450 CE (written) Dravidian South Dravidian 31 October 2008 Telugu 200 BCE. 575 CE (written)The Hindu News: Telugu is 2,400 years old, says ASI "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" South-Central Dravidian Malayalam 300-400 849 (written) CE South Dravidian 23 May 2013 Odia 700-800 CE Indo-European Eastern Indo-Aryan 20 February 2014 Assamese3 October 2024 Bengali 432-33 CE Marathi739 CE Southern Indo-Aryan Pali 260 BCE (written)Between ~300-200 BCE (oral) and 100 BCE (Written)Middle Indo-Aryan Prakrit 260 BCE (written)
Recognition by the Education Policy
The New Education Policy, also known as the National Education Policy 2020, had given recognition of Farsi (Persian language), owing to its huge long-established cultural heritage and influence on the traditional Indian culture, despite being originated from outside India, simultaneously with two ancient Indian languages, namely, Prakrit and Pali, as "classical language of India". Certain sources explicitly mention it as "Classical languages of India", while some sources write only "Classical language", without highlighting it as either "Indian" or not. In 2024, the classical language designation was internationally announced by S. Jaishankar, the then External Affairs Minister of India, in a Tehran-based bilateral meeting between India and Iran.
Language(s) Earliest establishment Language family Language branch Date recognised Farsi/Persian language Already long-established in Iran (Ancient Persia) in antiquity, but significantly introduced to the Indian subcontinent, in the 7th century CE by the Parsis. It was widespreadly introduced in the 11th century, during the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni (conquering portions of Northwest India, including the Punjab, as a part of the Ghaznavid Empire) and the early Delhi Sultanate eraBrard, Gurnam Singh Sidhu. "East of Indus: My memories of old Punjab." (2007).Abidi, S. A. H.; Gargesh, Ravinder (2008), "Persian in South Asia", Language in South Asia, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 103–120.Alam, Muzaffar (2003), "The Culture and Politics of Persian in Precolonial Hindustan", in Pollock, Sheldon (ed.), Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia, University of California Press, Indo-European Iranian January 2024 Pali c. 1st century BCE Indo-Aryan Prakrit c. 3rd century BCE
Demand from other languages
Meitei
Meitei, or Manipuri, is a language of the Sino-Tibetan linguistic family, having a long literary tradition.
Maithili
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 Hill Sen inscription from the 7th century, which provides evidence of its ancient lineage.Choudhary, R. (1976). A survey of Maithili literature. Ram Vilas Sahu. Additionally, the Charyapada, a collection of Buddhist mystical songs from the 8th century, also reflects the early development of Maithili. The language is predominantly spoken in the 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.
Classical Language Literary Awards
In January 2026, the Government of Tamil Nadu announced the first edition of the annual "Semmozhi Illakiya Virudhu" (), for the best works in the 7 languages, namely Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odiya, Bengali and Marathi, carrying a cash prize of 7 lakh INR each.
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. Languages declared as "classical" Political parties (involved in advocacy) State/UT/National level parties Notes/Ref.TamilDravida Munnetra Kazhagam and UPA GovernmentTamil Nadu and nationalTeluguTelugu Desam Party and UPA GovernmentUnited Andhra and NationalKannadaBharatiya Janata Party and UPA GovernmentKarnataka and nationalOdiaUPA Government and Biju Janata DalNational and OdishaBengaliTrinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata PartyWest Bengal and nationalBengaliAmra BangaliTripura Marathi Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Shiv Sena Maharashtra Marathi Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress National
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. 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.
See also Indian classical dance Indian classical music State Level Committee for declaration of Manipuri Language as Classical Language of India Linguistic history of India
Notes
References
Sources
External links Classical languages of India at Telegraph India Classical languages of India at IFP