Classical Languages of India: Criteria, Complete List, and Facts

 

India is a diverse land and is a home to people of different origins and cultures. That is why we see linguistic diversity in our nation. You will find hundreds of languages throughout India and each of them have their stories and folklores. Among these languages, eleven of them hold a very special status in India. They are known as the Classical Languages of India. This article will help you understand what are classical languages and why are they gives this special status. Also, you will learn about the fascinating facts of these languages.

What Makes a Language “Classical”?

Before knowing about classical languages list, let us understand the reason behind giving them this special status. The Government of India has defined a set of parameters for giving a language the status of classical which are:

The language should be around 1500-2000 years old. Also, the language should be regarded as one of the most important by speakers and writers of that generation.

The Classical Language should be the opposite of its modern version. There should be a considerable break in the chain of its development. It helps in proving a unique identity among languages.

The language must have writings written in prose. It could be poetry, epigraphy, and inscriptions that are now heritage of India.

The Complete List of India’s Classical Languages

The classical languages list contains 11 languages of India that have gained a special status. Earlier we had six languages from 2004 to 2014. Later five more languages were added in year 2024 which are as follows:

Tamil

Tamil has a superb literary heritage that dates back more than 2000 years. It was among the first Indian classical languages which was recognized in 2004. This Dravidian language has over 70 million speakers across the world. It is known for its powerful poetic tradition and philosophical discussion on love, war, nature etc.

Some famous books in Tamil include Tirukkural written by Thiruvalluvar which contains 1330 couplets about virtue, wealth and love.

Sanskrit

Sanskrit has always been known as the “language of the Gods”. This was due to the fact that most of Hindu texts such as Vedas and Upanishads were written in Sanskrit. It gained its title of Classical language of India in 2005. Around 24821 people mentioned Sanskrit as their mother tongue in the census of 2011. But still, it holds a prominent place in India

Many great scholars and thinkers such as Panini, Kalidasa, and Adi Shankara used Sanskrit to convey their message to the masses. Their writings are still teaching thousands of people.

Telugu

Telugu is known as the “Italian of the east” because the language sounds melodious. It was recognized among the classical languages of India in 2008. It is also a Dravidian language with 83 million speakers in India. This makes it the fourth most spoken language in the country. It is mainly spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Telugu literature is filled with writers like Nannaya, Tikkana, and Errana who translated Mahabharat in Telugu. An interesting fact about Telugu is that, it has gained huge number of speakers in United States too. There are around 1.23 million Telugu speakers in US making the language 11^th most spoken foreign language there.

Kannada

Like Telugu, Kannada also gained its recognition in classical languages list in the year 2008. It is currently spoken by around 44 million people in India. The language is native of Karnataka and is at the core of Karnataka culture. Kannada is also spoken in other states like Tamil Nadu, Goa, Maharashtra and Kerela.

The language has been quite popular in literature for 1500 years. Adikavi Pampa, Sri Ponna, and Ranna are known as the “three gems of Kannada literature”. Their work in 10^th century made Kannada one of the most popular languages in literary works.

Malayalam

Malayalam was included in the list of Indian classical languages in 2013 and has around 32 million speakers. Most of these speakers are from Kerala. It is quite younger than the other classical languages but still boasts rich literature works. It is also called as the language which is combined from Tamil and Sanskrit over the years.

One of the fascinating facts about Malayalam is that it is the second longest word palindrome in any language. This means it is read and written in the same way forwards and backwards.

Odia

Odia is an Indo-Aryan language that is spoken by more than 37.5 million people, mainly in the state of Odisha. It was awarded the title of Classical Language in 2014.

Some of the prominent literary works in Odia are Odia Mahabharat by Sarala Das which made epic accessible to the Odia audience. Jagannatha Das translated Bhagavata Purana into Odia which made it popular among Odia speakers.

Marathi

Marathi is one of the major languages spoken in western India. It is spoken by 83 million people mostly from Maharashtra. It was included in classical languages of India in 2024. It has its roots from 2500 years to Maharastri Prakrit which was spoken during Satavahana era.

Marathi has been the language of celebrated poets and philosophers like Sant Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, and Tukaram. Dnyaneshwar wrote Jnanesvari which is a commentary on Bhagavad Gita is praised by many scholars of today’s generation.

Pali

Pali is the language which was used by Buddha for his teachings. It gained the title of classical language of India in 2024. It is said that to understand Buddhism, you have to learn Pali. The language is popular in countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Tibet, China and Mongolia.

The entire Buddhist canonical literature known as Tipitaka is written in Pali. You can also find stories of Buddha written in Pali in Jataka Tales.

Prakrit

Prakrit is a combination of Middle Indo-Aryan languages and was added in the list of classical languages in 2024. The word “Prakrit” means natural contrasts with Sanskrit which has a formal tone.

Most of the modern languages such as Hindi, Bengali and Marathi are derived from Prakrit. It helps to understand how Indian languages have transformed over the years.

Assamese

Assamese is the main language of the Assam. It was also added in the list of classical language in 2024. It is spoken by 15.3 million people which is around 48.33% of Assam population. The language was evolved from an ancient dialect called Magadhi Apabhramsa.

If you want to witness the early Assamese writings, you can read Charyapadas which is an ancient Buddhist text. Sant Sankardev also played a huge role in shaping Assamese through forms of music, theater and dance.

Bengali

Bengali is the second most spoken language in India after Hindi. It is most common in West Bengal and has about 98 million speakers in India and 242 million speakers worldwide. It also gained its classical status in 2024.

Bengali has produced poetic, literary, and academic greats as Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Their works have been the backbone of social and literary movements in India. The national song of India Vande mataram is a popular song that is written in both Sanskrit and Bengali, i.e. Sanskritized Bengali.

Similarly, the national anthem of India Jana Gana Mana was originally written in Bengali. Its Hindi version is adopted as the Indian National Anthem.

Conclusion

India’s languages are the living testimony of the country’s diverse and ancient intellectual and cultural heritage. These languages truly deserve the title of Classical language of India. The more we learn and read about them, the more we are reminded of our linguistic legacy.

Now you see ancient texts being digitized, translated and made accessible to everyone. This will ensure that the future generations are inspired by the voices of our ancestors.

FAQs:

Q1. How many classical languages of India are there?

As of 2025, there are 11 classical languages of India.

Q2. What are the classical languages of India?

India’s 11 classical languages are, Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.

Q3. What are the 6 classical languages of India?

The 6 classical languages of India are Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia.

Q4. What is the classical language of India?

There is not one single classical language but 11 languages which include Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.

Q5. What are the four classical languages of India?

The four early classical languages are Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, and Kannada.

Q6. What group introduced Sanskrit as the classic language of India?

The language was widely used in ancient India and it was recognized as a Classical Language by the Government of India in 2005.

Q7. What is the classical language of India?

India has a total of 11 classical languages that the Indian government has recognized. Among these are Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.

Q8. What language was used in the classical age of India?

Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit were among the languages mainly used during India’s classical period.