One of the criteria for declaring a language as a classical language was that its early texts or recorded history should be:

One of the main criteria laid down by the Government of India for granting classical status to a language was the high antiquity of its early texts or recorded history, over a period of 1,500 to 2,000 years.

Criteria for classical status (as revised in 2005 and later):

• High antiquity of its early texts or recorded history over a period of 1,500 to 2,000 years.
• A body of ancient literature or texts that is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers.
• An original literary tradition, not borrowed from another speech community.
• The classical language and literature being distinct from the modern form, with a possible discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms.

Revision of criteria in 2024:

In 2024, the linguistic experts' committee revised the criteria.

The new criteria include high antiquity of early texts, a body of ancient literature, knowledge texts such as prose, poetry and epigraphical and inscriptional evidence, and a distinction between the classical and current forms of the language.

On this basis, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali were declared classical languages in October 2024.

Original criteria in 2004:

• When the category was created, the antiquity requirement was more than 1,000 years.
• It was raised to 1,500 to 2,000 years in 2005, when Sanskrit was declared classical.

Who decides:

The Ministry of Culture takes the decision, on the advice of the Linguistic Experts Committee under the Sahitya Akademi.

Benefits:

Awards for eminent scholars, Centres of Excellence for studies in the language, and chairs in universities.

The eleven classical languages:

Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali.

Importance:

Classical status recognises the historical and literary heritage of a language and encourages research and preservation.

Why not the other options?

• ✗500 to 1,000 and 800 to 1,200 years are too short, and more than 5,000 years was never a criterion.