The early Jain canonical texts (Agamas) were written in which language?

The early canonical texts of the Shvetambara Jains (the Agamas) were written in Ardhamagadhi, a form of Prakrit.

About Ardhamagadhi:

• "Ardhamagadhi" means "half-Magadhi"; it was a Prakrit language that combined features of Magadhi (spoken in Magadha, eastern India) and other neighbouring dialects.
• It is believed to have been the language used by Mahavira in his sermons.
• Prakrits were the languages of ordinary people, in contrast to Sanskrit, which was the language of priests and scholars.
• By using Prakrit, Mahavira and other teachers made their teachings accessible to common people.

Jain literature in different languages:

• Early Shvetambara texts: Ardhamagadhi Prakrit.
• Digambara texts: Shauraseni Prakrit (for example, the "Shatkhandagama" and the works of Kundakunda).
• Later Jain writers also wrote in Sanskrit (for example, the "Tattvartha Sutra" of Umasvati), Apabhramsha, Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati and Hindi.
• Jain scholars contributed greatly to the development of Kannada and Gujarati literature.

Languages of early Buddhist texts:

• The Theravada Buddhist canon (the Tipitaka) was written in Pali.
• Later Mahayana texts were written in Sanskrit.

Classical language status:

In October 2024, the Government of India declared Prakrit (along with Pali, Marathi, Assamese and Bengali) a classical language, bringing the number of classical languages to eleven.

About Prakrit:

• Prakrit languages developed from Old Indo-Aryan and were spoken in different regions.
• Ashoka's inscriptions were mostly in Prakrit.
• Prakrit plays were used for the dialogues of women and common characters in Sanskrit dramas.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Pali was the language of the Theravada Buddhist canon.
• ✗Classical Sanskrit was used by later Jain writers, but not for the early canon.
• ✗Apabhramsha was a later stage of Prakrit.