Will Maithili, Magadhi Get Classical Language Status? Here’s What Centre Said

New Delhi: The Central Government on Monday informed Lok Sabha that there is "no proposal" currently under consideration to declare Maithili and Magadhi as classical languages. 

In a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that detailed proposal from the concerned state government is required to be placed before the Linguistic experts panel.  

‘No Proposal Under Consideration For Maithili, Magadhi’

“There is no proposal currently under consideration to declare Maithili and Magadhi as classical languages. As per the procedure established for declaring a language as a Classical Language, a detailed proposal with recommendations from the respective state government is required, which is placed before the Linguistic Experts Committee to assess the eligibility," the Culture Minister said. 

The Culture Minister responded to the query whether there is any proposal to declare Maithili and Magadhi languages as classical languages "lying pending with or under consideration before the government".

In October, the Union Cabinet approved granting classical language status to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali. 

The Government of India first introduced the concept of "classical languages" on October 12, 2004, by declaring Tamil as a classical language. 

To assess languages for this status, a Linguistic Experts Committee (LEC) was established by the Ministry of Culture under the Sahitya Akademi in November 2004. 

The criteria were revised in November 2005, leading to Sanskrit being declared a classical language. 

Since then, the Indian government has granted classical language status to Tamil in 2004, Sanskrit in 2005, Telugu and Kannada in 2008, Malayalam in 2013, and Odia in 2014.

Why is a Language Declared As Classical?

The designation of a language as classical is intended to recognize its historical significance and its role as a guardian of Bharat’s rich cultural and intellectual heritage. These languages have been essential in preserving and transmitting India's ancient knowledge systems, philosophies, and values across generations for thousands of years, Culture Ministry said in a release. 

How Many Languages Have Been Declared Classical? 

Previously, six Indian languages—Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia—were granted the status of Classical Language. 
On October 3, 2024, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the addition of Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali to this list, bringing the total number of classical languages to 11.