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.

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:

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.

Criteria in 2005

The following criteria were set during the time Sanskrit was given the classical language status by the government 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.

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:

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.

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:

“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

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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

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.

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. 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" (transl. Classical Language Literary Award), 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.

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.