The first Indian language to be given the status of a classical language was:

Tamil was the first language to be declared a classical language by the Government of India, in 2004.

Background:

• In 2004, the Government of India created a new category of "classical languages" to recognise languages with a long and rich literary tradition.
• Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, was the first to receive this status.

Tamil literature:

• Tamil has a very long and continuous literary tradition.
• Sangam literature, such as the Tolkappiyam (an ancient grammar), the Ettuthokai and the Pattuppattu, is among its earliest works.
• The Tirukkural by Tiruvalluvar is a famous ethical text in Tamil.
• Silappatikaram and Manimekalai are famous epics.

Other classical languages:

• After Tamil, several other languages, such as Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia, were given classical status.
• In 2024, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali were added.
• India now has eleven classical languages.

Benefits of classical status:

• Two major international awards for scholars of eminence in the classical language every year.
• A Centre of Excellence for Studies in the classical language.
• University Grants Commission support for creating professional chairs in central universities.

Who decides:

The Ministry of Culture decides on the classical status of languages, based on the recommendations of a committee of linguistic experts under the Sahitya Akademi.

Central Institute of Classical Tamil:

It is located in Chennai and works for the promotion of classical Tamil.

Eighth Schedule:

Tamil is one of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada were given classical status after Tamil.