I’ve written before that India officially recognised 6 languages as classical languages. Five more languages were added to the list in October 2024: Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit. Press Release: Press Information Bureau
They join the 6 languages already recognised as classical languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia. Odia, a classical language in India – Language Miscellany
The 5 newly recognised languages had to meet the following criteria:
- high antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500-2000 years.
- a body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a heritage by generations of speakers.
- knowledge texts, especially prose texts in addition to poetry, epigraphical and inscriptional evidence.
The criteria acknowledge that there can be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.