With reference to Classical Languages in India, consider the following information:

S.No.	Language	Status	Feature
1.	Tamil	Officially Recognized Classical Language	First language to be declared Classical in 2004.
2.	Sanskrit	Officially Recognized Classical Language	It was declared Classical in 2005 under dead language criteria.
3.	Pali	Unofficially Recognized Classical Language	It is considered the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism only, hence did not meet the criteria to get Classical Language Status.
4.	Marathi	Officially Recognized Classical Language	It was given the classical language status in October, 2024.

 

In which of the rows is/are the given information correctly matched?

The correct answer is option 1.

Key Points

• Currently, 11 languages enjoy the ‘Classical’ status: Tamil (declared in 2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada (2008), Telugu (2008), Malayalam (2013),  Odia (2014), Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali (2024).
• Tamil was the first language to be declared Classical in 2004, and the Indian government established stringent criteria for this recognition in the same year. The criteria ensure that a language has a rich literary heritage and antiquity of at least 1500-2000 years.
• Sanskrit was recognized as a Classical Language in 2005, and its antiquity is established by the Rigveda, which dates back to 1500 BCE - 1200 BCE. This linguistic and literary depth justified its recognition as a Classical Language.
• Note that Sanskrit is considered living in the Indian classical context due to its widespread popularity and use, although it is extinct in the linguistic sense that it no longer has native speakers. Hence, the 2nd row is incorrect.
• Pali is a classical Middle Indo-Aryan language on the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist Pāli Canon or Tipiṭaka as well as the sacred language of Theravāda Buddhism. Pali was designated as a classical language by the Government of India on 3 October 2024. Hence, the 3rd row is incorrect