Literary Art | Indian Traditional Art

Literary Art | Indian Traditional Art | Folk Art

Indian literature includes everything which is included in the word ‘literature’ in its broadest, sense: religious and mundane, epic and lyric, dramatic and didactic poetry, narrative and scientific prose, as well as oral poetries and songs. In the Vedas (3000 BC-1000 BC), when one finds such expressions, “I am standing in water but I am very thirsty”, one marvels at the continuity of a rich heritage which is both modern and traditional. It is, therefore, not very correct to say that ancient Indian literature includes only the religious classics of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Jain narrative literature in the Prakrit language is full of erotic stories and realism.

Literary Art forms have a incredible significance in the civilization and tradition of Indian Society. Indian Literature is well praised by people, around the globe.

Indian literature contains everything that can be found in generally religious and commonplace “literature,” epic and lyrics, dramatic and didactic verse, narrative and scientific writing, as well as oral poetry and music. Indian literature, writings of the Indian subcontinent, produced there in a variety of vernacular languages, including Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, Bengali, Bihari, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Lahnda, Siraiki, and Sindhi, among others, as well as in English. The term Indian literature is used here to refer to literature produced across the Indian subcontinent prior to the creation of the Republic of India in 1947 and within the Republic of India after 1947.

The earliest Indian literature took the form of the canonical Hindu sacred writings, known as the Veda, which were written in Sanskrit. To the Veda were added prose commentaries such as the Brahmanas and the Upanishads. The Earliest known works of Indian literature was Rig Veda, which is a collection of 1028 hymns written in Vedic Sanskrit. While most of the literary works that survived from ancient Indian literature are religious text, identifying ancient Indian literature based solely on religion is not right. Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda followed up on the Rig Veda. There are other works that adopt Vedas such as Brahmanas and Aryankas preceded by Upanishad philosophical doctrines. These form the literature portion of Shruti.

Yajur Veda – deals with the Yajnas’ performance directions.
Sama Veda- is concerned with prescribed tunes to recite the hymns.
Atharva Veda- deals with rituals and medicines.
Brahmanas- includes detailed descriptions and guidance on the Vedic literature.
Aryankas- is a forest treatise that describes the rituals while dwelling in the Brahmanas’ philosophical discussions. We document the transitions between Brahmana’s ritualistic symbolism and Upanishad philosophical aspects.
Upanishads- deals with concepts that are written in poetry and prose about the origin of the universe, death, and birth, material and spiritual world, as expressions of philosophical concepts. Earliest Upanishads are Chanddogya and Brihad-Aryanaka. They clarify the highest thoughts mentioned which a man can realize in simple and beautiful imagery according to ancient sages.

Samskrutam or Sanskrit Literature:

The production of Sanskrit literature extended from about 1500 BCE to about 1000 CE and reached its height of development in the 1st to 7th centuries CE. In addition to sacred and philosophical writings, such genres as erotic and devotional lyrics, court poetry, plays, and narrative folktales emerged. Because Sanskrit was identified with the Brahminical religion of the Vedas, Buddhism and Jainism adopted other literary languages (Pali and Ardhamagadhi, respectively). From these and other related languages emerged the modern languages of northern India. The literature of those languages depended largely on the ancient Indian background, which includes two Sanskrit epic poems, the Mahabharata and Ramayana, as well as the Bhagavata-purana and the other Puranas. In addition, the Sanskrit philosophies were the source of philosophical writing in the later literatures, and the Sanskrit schools of rhetoric were of great importance for the development of court poetry in many of the modern literatures. The South Indian language of Tamil is an exception to this pattern of Sanskrit influence because it had a classical tradition of its own. Urdu and Sindhi are other exceptions.

Epics Literature:

Ancient Indian Literature contains two epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. These have evolved through the centuries to their present form, and thus reflect the Indian people‘s ethnic memory. Over time, they were transmitted orally by singers and storytellers and were probably put into their writings from around the 2nd century BC.

Ramayana is composed of 24,000 verses spread over seven books known as Khandas (Sections); it’s written in poetry form that entertains while instructing. It is Rama ‘s story and tells how to attain human life’s fourfold goals (Purushartha), namely, Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha.

Dharma- Righteous behavior or religion.
Artha- The achievement of worldly wealth and prosperity.
Kama- Fulfillment of desires.
Moksha- Ultimate liberation.

Mahabharata is made up of one lakh verse spread over ten books, making it the world‘s longest poem. It is considered to be Ithihasa Purana, meaning mythical history (because this story is not merely a depiction of events that have occurred, but these are the vents that will always occur and repeat). The tale about the war of succession to the throne between Pandavas and Kauravs is written by Vyasa, with several stories interwoven together to form an epic. A subsequent introduction of Bhagavad Gita, along with the central tale of war, enshrines an integrated concept of Dharma (performing righteous duty in Nishkama Karma‘s selfless way).

Puranas Literature:

They helped toward Hinduism in the development of early Vedic religion. To renew the old, the literal meaning of the word “Purana” means.” They were written to show the people the truth about Vedas. Through famous legends and mythological tales Puranas discusses the metaphysical and religious truths. Puranas, in combination with the Ithihas(Ramayana and Mahabharata), consists of many stories and anecdotes of India ‘s religious, social , and cultural history.

Shastras & Smriti literature:

Shastras comprise metaphysical and scientific work. We cover such topics as poetry, mathematics and other sciences. Arthashastra is a Governance science research. Smritis deals with the execution of duties, customs, and laws prescribed in accordance with Dharma. The most important example is the Manusmriti, known as Manu laws.

Buddhist Literature:

A number of literary works which had secular character were written just before the beginning of the Gupta period. The time saw poetry and drama develop. Mainly political events, allegories, comedies, romances, and philosophical questions were the subject of these works.

Kalidasa ‘s works include the Kumarsambhava, the Raghuvamsha, the Meghaduta, and the
Abhijnanshakuntalam, which are considered poetry and style classics.
Bana had written Harshacharita, a biography of King Harsha and Kadambari.
Bhavabhuti wrote Ramayana-Uttar.
Bharavi wrote Kirtarjuniya.
Shudraka has written Mricchakatika which deals with social drama.
Dandin wrote Daskumarcharita (A tale of ten princes).

There was also a considerable amount of philosophical literature. Most significant are those of Sankaracharya. Panchatantra and Kathasarit-Sagar are collections of stories.

South-Indian Literature:

The ancient Indian writings were written in four Dravidian languages in Southern India which developed their own script and literature, these are, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam. Among these, Tamil is the oldest, with literature from the early Christian era. This developed during various times during the three Sangams (assemblies of poets and writers) held. The Sangam literature is extensively covering topics of war, love, and politics. Tolkappiyam, Pattuppattu, and Ettutogai are important works of these times. Thiruvalluvar is this time’s most famous author who wrote Kural, which deals with many aspects of life and religion.

Beginning in the 19th century, particularly during the height of British control over the subcontinent, Western literary models had an impact on Indian literature, the most striking result being the introduction of the use of vernacular prose on a major scale. Such forms as the novel and short story began to be adopted by Indian writers, as did realism and an interest in social questions and psychological description. A tradition of literature in English was also established in the subcontinent.

Indian Literature | Traditional Literary Art

Hindi literature (Hindi: हिन्दी साहित्य) includes literature in the various Hindi language which have writing systems. Earliest forms of hindi literature are attested in poetry of Apabhraṃśa like Awadhi, Magadhi, Ardhamagadhi and Marwari languages. Hindi literature is composed in three broad styles- गद्य (Gadya-prose), पद्य( Padya- poetry) and चम्प्पू (Campū -Prosimetrum.) In terms of historical development, it is broadly classified into five prominent forms (genres) based on the date of production. They are:

Ādi Kāl /Vīr-Gāthā Kāl (आदि काल/वीरगाथा काल) — [prior to & including 14th century CE.] This period was marked by Poems extolling brave warriors.

Bhakti Kāl (भक्ति काल) –[14th–18th century CE.] Prominent genre in this period was Poems of Devotion due to Bhakti Movement.

Rīti Kāl /Śṛṅgār Kāl (रीति काल/ शृंगार काल) — [18th–20th century CE.] The major genre of this period is Poems of Romance which are marked with high ornamentalism.

Ādhunik Kāl (आधुनिक काल) — [from 1850 CE onwards.] Literally means Modern literature.

Nayvottar Kāl (नव्योत्तर काल) — [from 1980 CE onwards.] Literally means Post- Modern literature.

The literature was produced in dialects such as Khariboli, Braj, Bundeli, Awadhi, Kannauji, as well as Marwari, Magahi, Bhojpuri and Chhattisgarhi. From the 20th century, works produced in Standard Hindi, a register of Hindustani written in the Devanagari script, are sometimes regarded as the only basis of modern literature in Hindi.

Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the Tamil literature are mainly from Tamil people from South India, including the land now comprising Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Eelam Tamils from Sri Lanka, as well as the Tamil diaspora. The history of Tamil literature follows the history of Tamil Nadu, closely following the social, economical, political and cultural trends of various periods. The early Sangam literature, dated before 300 BCE, contain anthologies of various poets dealing with many aspects of life, including love, war, social values and religion. A revival of Tamil literature took place from the late 19th century when works of religious and philosophical nature were written in a style that made it easier for the common people to enjoy. The modern Tamil literary movement started with Subramania Bharathi, the multifaceted Indian Nationalist poet and author, and was quickly followed up by many who began to utilize the power of literature in influencing the masses.

Sanskrit literature (Sanskrit: संस्कृत साहित्य) broadly comprises all literature in the Sanskrit language. This includes texts composed in the earliest attested descendant of the Proto-Indo-Aryan language known as Vedic Sanskrit, texts in Classical Sanskrit as well as some mixed and non-standard forms of Sanskrit. Literature in the older language begins with the composition of the Ṛigveda between about 1500 and 1000 BCE, followed by other Vedic works right up to the time of the grammarian Pāṇini around 6th or 4th century BCE (after which Classical Sanskrit texts gradually became the norm). Vedic Sanskrit is the language of the extensive liturgical works of the Vedic religion, while Classical Sanskrit is the language of many of the prominent texts associated with the major Indian religions, especially Hinduism, but also Buddhism, and Jainism.

The Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், caṅka ilakkiyam;) historically known as ‘the poetry of the noble ones’ (Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ) connotes the ancient Tamil literature and is the earliest known literature of South India. The Tamil tradition and legends link it to three literary gatherings around Madurai and Kapāṭapuram (Pandyan capitals): the first over 4,440 years, the second over 3,700 years, and the third over 1,850 years before the start of the Common Era. The Sangam literature had fallen into oblivion for much of the second millennium of the Common Era, but were preserved by and rediscovered in the monasteries of Hinduism, particularly those related to Shaivism near Kumbakonam, by colonial-era scholars in the late nineteenth century.

Pali literature is concerned mainly with Theravada Buddhism, of which Pali is the traditional language. The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pāli Canon, the authoritative scriptures of Theravada school. Pali literature includes numerous genres, including Suttas (Buddhist discourses), Vinaya (monastic discipline), Abhidhamma (philosophy), poetry, history, philology, hagiography, scriptural exegesis, and meditation manuals. The Pali language is a composite language which draws on various Middle Indo-Aryan languages. Much of the extant Pali literature is from Sri Lanka, which became the headquarters of Theravada for centuries. Most extant Pali literature was written and composed there, though some was also produced in outposts in South India.

The Prakrits (Sanskrit: prākṛta; Jain Prakrit: pāua) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Indo-Aryan languages, excluding earlier inscriptions and the later Pali. Prākṛta literally means “natural”, as opposed to saṃskṛta, which literally means “constructed” or “refined”. Prakrits were considered the regional spoken (informal) languages of people, and Sanskrit was considered the standardized (formal) language used for literary, official and religious purposes across Indian kingdoms of the subcontinent. The sacred texts (Siddhanta or Agama) of the two main sects of the Jains employed three types of Prakrit. The oldest sutras of the Svetambara sect are written in Ardha-Magadhi, while later books are in Maharastri. However, most of the literature generally called Prakrit is devoted to Jainism.

Vedic Sanskrit was an ancient language of the Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-European language family. It is attested in the Vedas and related literature compiled over the period of the mid-2nd to mid-1st millennium BCE. It was orally preserved, predating the advent of writing by several centuries. Extensive ancient literature in the Vedic Sanskrit language has survived into the modern era, and this has been a major source of information for reconstructing Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Indo-Iranian history. The early Vedic Sanskrit language was far less homogeneous compared to the language defined by Pāṇini, i.e., Classic Sanskrit. The language in the early Upanishads of Hinduism and the late Vedic literature approaches Classical Sanskrit. The formalization of the late form of Vedic Sanskrit language into the Classical Sanskrit form is credited to Pāṇini’s Aṣṭādhyāyī, along with Patanjali’s Mahabhasya and Katyayana’s commentary that preceded Patanjali’s work.

Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script. Attestations in literature span one and a half millennia, with some specific literary works surviving in rich manuscript traditions, extending from the 9th century to the present. The Kannada language is usually divided into three linguistic phases: Old (450–1200 CE), Middle (1200–1700 CE) and Modern (1700–present); and its literary characteristics are categorised as Jain, Lingayatism and Vaishnava—recognising the prominence of these three faiths in giving form to, and fostering, classical expression of the language, until the advent of the modern era. Although much of the literature prior to the 18th century was religious, some secular works were also committed to writing.

Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a South-Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala. The first travelogue in any Indian language is the Malayalam Varthamanappusthakam, written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar in 1785. Malayalam literature has been presented with 6 Jnanapith awards, the second-most for any Dravidian language and the third-highest for any Indian language. The Sangam literature can be considered as the ancient predecessor of Malayalam. The origin of Malayalam calendar dates back to year 825 CE. It is generally agreed that the Quilon Syrian copper plates of 849/850 CE is the available oldest inscription written in Old Malayalam. The earliest known literary works in Malayalam are Ramacharitam and Thirunizhalmala, two epic poems written in Old Malayalam.

Odia literature is literature written in the Odia language, mostly from the Indian state of Odisha. The modern Odia language is mostly formed from Tadbhava words with significant Sanskrit (Tatsama) influences, along with loanwoards from Desaja, English, Hindustani (Hindi/Urdu), Persian, and Arabic. Its earliest written texts date from around 1000 CE. The earliest Odia newspaper was Utkala Deepika, first published on August 4, 1866. Historians have divided Odia literature into five main stages: Old Odia (800 AD to 1300 AD), Early Medieval Odia (1300 AD to 1500 AD), Medieval Odia (1500 AD to 1700 AD), Late Medieval Odia (1700 AD to 1850 AD) and Modern Odia (1870 AD to present).

Telugu literature is the body of works written in the Telugu language. It consists of poems, short stories, novels, plays, and song lyrics, among others. There is some indication that Telugu literature dates at least to the middle of the first millennium, the first extant works are from the 11th century when the Mahabharata was first translated to Telugu from Sanskrit by Nannaya. The language experienced a golden age under the patronage of the Vijayanagara king-poet Krishnadevaraya. Traditional Hindu knowledge systems such as Vedic astrology, the Arthashastra (on law), grammar, ballets, moral aphorisms, and Bhakti (devotional psalms) to deities within the Hindu pantheon are characteristics of more popular works of Telugu literature.

Assamese literature (Assamese: অসমীয়া সাহিত্য) is the entire corpus of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, documents and other writings in the Assamese language. It also includes the literary works in the older forms of the language during its evolution to the contemporary form and its cultural heritage and tradition. The literary heritage of the Assamese language can be traced back to the c. 9-10th century in the Charyapada, where the earliest elements of the language can be discerned. Banikanta Kakati divides the history of Assamese literature into three prominent eras – Early Assamese, Middle Assamese and Modern Assamese, which is generally accepted.

In this period, Awadhi became the vehicle for epic poetry in northern India. Its literature is mainly divided into: bhaktīkāvya (devotional poetry) and premākhyān (romantic tales). Bhaktīkāvyas, the most important work, probably in any modern Indo-Aryan language, came from the poet-saint Tulsidas in the form of Ramcharitmanas (1575 C.E.) or “The Lake of the Deeds of Rama”, written in doha-chaupai metre. Its plot is mostly derivative, either from the original Rāmāyaṇa by Valmiki or from the Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa, both of which are in Sanskrit. Mahatma Gandhi had acclaimed the Ramcharitmanas as “the greatest book of all devotional literature” while western observers have christened it as “the Bible of Northern India”. It is sometimes synonymously referred as ‘Tulsidas Ramayana’ or simply ‘the Ramayana’.

Bengali literature denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language. Bengali has developed over the course of roughly 1,300 years. The earliest extant work in Bengali literature is the Charyapada, a collection of Buddhist mystic songs in Old Bengali dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries. The timeline of Bengali literature is divided into three periods: ancient (650-1200), medieval (1200-1800) and modern (after 1800). Medieval Bengali literature consists of various poetic genres, including Hindu religious scriptures (e.g. Mangalkavya), Islamic epics (e.g. works of Syed Sultan and Abdul Hakim), Vaishnava texts (e.g. biographies of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu), translations of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit texts, and secular texts by Muslim poets (e.g. works of Alaol). Novels were introduced in the mid-19th century. Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore is the best known figure of Bengali literature to the world. Kazi Nazrul Islam, notable for his activism and anti-British literature, was described as the Rebel Poet and is now recognised as the National poet of Bangladesh.

Braj literature is literature in Braj or Brij Bhasha(language), one of the Western Hindi languages developed as a literary language before the introduction of Hindustani, Urdu, and Hindi. It is often mystical in nature, related to the spiritual union of people with God, because almost all of Braj poets were considered God-realised saints and their words are thus considered as emanating from a divine source. Much of the traditional Northern Indian literature shares this trait. It literary tradition is a celebration of Lord Krishna. The Braj region has a rich legacy and the medium was mainly the literary vehicle for the poets viz. Surdas, Tulsidas, Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla, Raskhan, Amir Khusrau among others. Braj Bhasha gained wider literary acceptance after Mughal emperor, Akbar, accepted it as one of the royal court’s language and liked to use it to compose poems.

Bhojpuri literature includes literature written in Bhojpuri language. Bhojpuri has developed over a course of 1300 years, the development of the language started in 7th century. The earliest form of Bhojpuri can be seen in the writings of Siddha Saints and Charyapada. Distinct literary traditions in Bhojpuri language date back to medieval periods when saints and bhakts of the region adapted a mixed language for their works. Lorikayan, or the story of Veer Lorik, is a famous Bhojpuri folklore of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Bhikhari Thakur’s Bidesiya is another famous book. The first Bhojpuri novel Bindiã was written in 1956 by Ram Nath Pandey. It was published by the people belong to Bhojpuri Sansad, Jagatganj, and Varanasi.

Indian English literature (IEL), also referred to as Indian Writing in English (IWE), is the body of work by writers in India who write in the English language and whose native or co-native language could be one of the numerous languages of India. Its early history began with the works of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio and Michael Madhusudan Dutt followed by Rabindranath Tagore and Sri Aurobindo.[citation needed] R. K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao contributed to the growth and popularity of Indian English fiction in the 1930s. It is also associated, in some cases, with the works of members of the Indian diaspora who subsequently compose works in English. It is frequently referred to as Indo-Anglian literature. (Indo-Anglian is a specific term in the sole context of writing that should not be confused with Anglo-Indian). Although some Indo-Anglian works may be classified under the genre of postcolonial literature, the repertoire of Indian English literature encompasses a wide variety of themes and ideologies, from the late eighteenth-century to the present day, and thereby eludes easy categorization.

The history of Gujarati literature (Gujarati: ગુજરાતી સાહિત્ય) may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, other than its composers. Gujarat Vidhya Sabha, Gujarat Sahitya Sabha, Gujarat Sahitya Akademi and Gujarati Sahitya Parishad are Gujarat-based literary institutions promoting the Gujarati literature. In this context of gradual evolution, the history of Gujarati literature is generally classed into three broad periods, consisting of the Early period (up to c. 1450 AD), the Middle period (1450 to 1850 AD) and the Modern period (1850 AD. onwards). However, Gujarati literature and its tremendous maturation and proficiency in contributing to culture is retraced back to Gujarat Sultanate days (referring to the Muzaffarid dynasty, which had provided the sultans of Gujarat in western India from 1391 to 1583). Gujarati literature is divided mainly into three eras or Yugas; the early, medieval and modern, with these eras being further subdivided.

Literature of Kashmir has a long history, the oldest texts having been composed in the Sanskrit language. Early names include Patanjali, the author of the Mahābhāṣya commentary on Pāṇini’s grammar, suggested by some to have been the same to write the Hindu treatise known as the Yogasutra, and Dridhbala, who revised the Charaka Samhita of Ayurveda. In medieval times, philosophers of Kashmir Shaivism include Vasugupta (c. 800), Utpala (c. 925), Abhinavagupta, Kshemaraja, and Anandavardhana. If we talk about contemporary poetry of Kashmir there are many poets, which include Asif Tariq Bhat, Tashi Shah, Akeel Mohiuddin Bhat, and Zeeshan Jaipuri.

Kokborok(Tiprakok/Tripuri) is the native language of Tripuri people in present Tripura state in North East of India. During 20th centuries many of Royal family and its officials contributes to develop the Kokborok Language in many ways. A significant hint for the antiquity of the Kokborok language can be found in the following lines (Rajmala – 2nd part, Dharma Manikya Chapter, page 6) in the “Rajmala”, the chronicle written now in Bengali of the Kings of Tripura, which mentions that “Rajmala” was first written in Kokborok(Tiprakok); The meaning of the quotation is – the Rajmala had been in Tripur language earlier. As ordered by the king Dharma Manikya, the chronicle was translated or written afresh in elegant language, i.e., in Bengali in the 14th century AD.

Konkani is a language with a complex and much-contested history. It is one of the few Indian languages to be written in five scripts—Roman, Nagari, Kannada, Persian-Arabic and Malayalam-and also has an extensive oral literature. The first modern Konkani novel, ‘Kristanv ghorabo’, was written by Eduardo Jose Bruno De Souza, while ‘Mhaji ba khãya geli?’ by Shenoy Goembab is the first modern short story in Konkani literature. Other prominent Konkani writers include Ravindra Kelekar, Bakibab Borkar, Chandrakant Keni, Damodar Mauzo, Arvind Mhambro, C. F. D’Costa, Pundalik Naik, Hema Naik, Bonaventure D’Pietro, Dilip Borkar, Mahabaleshwar Sail, V. J. P. Saldana, Meena kakodkar, Jess Fernandes, K. M. Sukhthankar, Nayana Adarkar.

The Maithili script, Mithilakshara or Tirhuta as it is popularly known, is of a great antiquity. Maithili literature is the entire collection of poetry, novels, short stories, documents and other writings in the Maithili language. The most famous literary figure in Maithili is the poet Vidyapati (1350–1450), who wrote his poems in the language of the people, i.e., Maithili, at a time when state’s official language was Sanskrit and Sanskrit was being used as a literary language. The use of Maithili, instead of Sanskrit, in literature became more common after Vidyapati. The main characteristics of Magadhi Prakrit is to mutate ‘r’ into ‘s’, the ‘n’ for n, of ‘j’ for ‘y’, of ‘b’ for ‘y’ In the edicts of Ashoka the change of ‘r’ to ‘h’ is established. Mahavir and Buddha delivered their sermons in the eastern languages. The secular use of language came mainly from the east as will be evident from the Prakritpainglam, a comprehensive work on Prakrit and Apabhramsa-Avahatta poetry.

Marathi literature is the body of literature of Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra and written in the Devanagari and Modi script. The Marathas, the Marathi-speaking natives, formed their own kingdom under the leadership of Shivaji Maharaj in the 17th century. The development of the Marathi literature accelerated during this period. Tukaram and Samarth Ramdas, who were contemporaries of Shivaji, were the well-known poets of the early Maratha period. Tukaram (1608–1650) was the most prominent Marathi Varkari spiritual poet identified with the Bhakti movement, and had a great influence on the later Maratha society. His contemporary, Samarth Ramdas composed Dasbodh and Manache Shlok in Marathi.

Meitei literature, also known as Manipuri literature, refers to the literature written in Meitei language (Manipuri language), one of the official languages of the Government of India. An ancient institution of learning named the Luwang Nonghumsang, later known as the Pandit Loishang, collected the sources of indigenous Meitei knowledge and philosophy until the 18th century. The presence of writing among the Meiteis is assumed to go back to the Kangleipak state under king Loiyumba in the early 12th century. The Meitei script is a Brahmic abugida. It is known only from the Puya manuscripts discovered in the first half of the 20th century. Manuscripts of the 18th and 19th century used the Bengali alphabet. The existence of the Meitei script in the 15th-century hinges on the authenticity of an inscription dated to the reign of Senbi Kiyamba.

Mizo literature is the literature written in Mizo ṭawng, the principal language of the Mizo peoples, which has both written and oral traditions. It has undergone a considerable change in the 20th century. The language developed mainly from the Lushai language, with significant influence from Pawi language, Paite language and Hmar language, especially at the literary level. All Mizo languages such as Pawi language, Paite language etc. remained unwritten until the beginning of the twentieth century. However, there was unwritten secular literature in the form of folktales, war chants etc. passed down from one generation to another. And there was rich religious literature in the form of sacerdotal chants. These are the chants used by the two types of priests, namely Bawlpu and Sadâwt.

Nepali literature (Nepali: नेपाली साहित्य) refers to the literature written in Nepali language. The Nepali language has been the national language of Nepal since 1958. Nepali language evolved from Sanskrit and it is difficult to exactly date the history of Nepali language literature since most of the early scholars wrote in Sanskrit. It is, however, possible to roughly divide Nepali literature into five periods. Nepali speakers honor Bhanubhakta as the “Adikavi” (literally meaning ‘first poet’) of the Nepali language. Bhanubhakta’s most important contribution to Nepali literature is probably his translation of the holy Ramayana into the Nepali language. Motiram Bhatta (1923–1953 BS or 1866–1896 CE) revived the legacy of Bhanubhakta and publicized the contributions of the latter. Motiram played such a fundamental role in the legacy of Bhanubhakta that some allege that Bhanubhakta was just a fabrication of Motiram’s mind.

Punjabi literature, specifically literary works written in the Punjabi language, is characteristic of the historical Punjab of India and Pakistan and the Punjabi diaspora. The Punjabi language is written in several scripts, of which the Shahmukhi and Gurmukhī scripts are the most commonly used in Pakistan and India, respectively. Hindu Nath Yogis were the first poets to use Punjabi language in praise of God. They referred to God with various names such as “Alakh Nirajan” which are still prevalent in Punjabi vernacular. The Janamsakhis, stories on the life and legend of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), are early examples of Punjabi prose literature. Guru Nanak himself composed Punjabi verse incorporating vocabulary from Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, and other South Asian languages as characteristic of the Gurbani tradition.

Rajasthani literature has been written in various genres starting from 1000 AD. But, it is generally agreed that modern Rajasthani literature began with the works of Suryamal Misran. His most important works are the Vansa Bhaskara and the Vir Satsai. The Vans Bhaskar contains accounts of the Rajput princes who ruled in what was then Rajputana (at present the state of Rajasthan), during the lifetime of the poet (1872–1952). The Vir Satsai is a collection of hundreds of couplets. Medieval Rajasthani literature is mostly poetry only and it is more about the heroic poetry mentioning of the great kings and fighters of the Rajasthan. As said by Rabindra Nath Tagore once, “The heroic sentiment which is the essence of every song and couplet of a Rajasthani is peculiar emotion of its own of which, however, the whole country may be proud”.

Sindhi literature (Sindhi: سنڌي ادب), Sindhi-language literature in the Pakistani province of Sindh, consists of poetry and prose. It was influenced by a number of cultures over a thousand years. Before Arabs, the Local Hindu people ruled over Sindh. But after 712 Arabs conquered Sindh and established their government. They were the foreigners/outsiders, so they didn’t pay attention to Sindhi language, but in spite of all that Sindhi writers and poets played a crucial rule in Sindhi and Arabic language. This Arabs period (712-1030) was usually known as early period of Sindhi literature. Modern Sindhi literature began with the region’s 1843 conquest by the British, when the printing press was introduced. Mirza Kalich Beg wrote more than four hundred books (including poetry, novels, short stories and essays) about science, history, economics and politics during the last two decades of the nineteenth century and the first two decades of the twentieth.

Urdu literature (Urdu: ادبیات اردو, “Adbiyāt-i Urdū”) is literature in the Urdu language. While it tends to be dominated by poetry, especially the verse forms of the ghazal غزل and nazm نظم, it has expanded into other styles of writing, including that of the short story, or afsana افسانہ . Urdu literature is mostly popular in Pakistan, where Urdu is the national language and India, where it is a recognized language and was developed in the Delhi Sultanate. It is also widely understood in Afghanistan and has moderate amount of popularity in Bangladesh. Urdu literature originated sometime around the 14th century in present-day North India among the sophisticated gentry of the courts. The Urdu language, with a vocabulary almost evenly split between Sanskrit-derived Prakrit and Arabo-Persian words, was a reflection of this cultural amalgamation.

Literature in Chhattisgarh reflects the regional consciousness and the evolution of an identity distinct from others in Central India. The development of Chhattisgarhi folk literature has been created by the beliefs, culture and civilizations of Chhattisgarhi folk. Literary works composed in Chhattisgarhi language had started about a thousand years ago, but there was not enough literature created at that time, yet Chhattisgarhi Literary Tours literary works composed in different times are available. This one thousand years literary journey is divided into three classes based on different eras. Which are; 1. Saga era: from 1000 to 1500 AD, 2. Bhakti era: from 1500 to 1900 AD , and 3. Modern era: 1900 to date. Chhattisgarh has its own historical background, in which Chhattisgarhi literature has been confined for a hundred years. The social problems of the lower castes/untouchables were highlighted in the writings of Khub Chand Baghel through his plays Jarnail Singh and Unch Neech.

When Kodava was written, it was usually with Kannada script, sometimes with minor modifications. The language had no significant written literature until the twentieth century. Appachcha Kavi, a playwright, and Nadikerianda Chinnappa, a folk compiler, are the two important poets and writers of the Kodava language. Family histories, rituals and other records were scripted on palm leaves called Pattole (patt i.e. palm, ole i.e. leaf) by astrologers in the ancient times. When Kodava was written, it was usually with Kannada script, sometimes with minor modifications. The folk songs of the Kodavas, called the Palame (also known as the Balo Patt or Dudi Patt), were orally transmitted across several generations. The Pattole Palame, a collection of Kodava folksongs and traditions compiled in the early 1900s by Nadikerianda Chinnappa, was first published in 1924. The most important Kodava literature, it is said to be one of the earliest, if not the earliest, collection of folklore of a community in an Indian language.

The written literature of Tulu is not as large as the literature of other literary Dravidian languages such as Tamil. Nevertheless, Tulu is one of only five literary Dravidian languages, the other four being Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The earliest available Tulu literature that survives to this date is the Tulu translation of the great Sanskrit epic of Mahabharata called Mahabharato (ಮಹಾಭಾರತೊ). It was written by Arunabja (1657 AD), a poet who lived in Kodavur near Udupi around the late 14th to early 15th century AD. Modern-day Tulu literature is written using the Kannada script. Mandara Ramayana is the most notable piece of modern Tulu literature. Written by Mandara Keshava Bhatt, it received the Sahitya Akademi Award for best poetry.

Early examples of Bundelkhandi literature are the verses of the Alha-Khand epic. It is still preserved by bards in the Banaphari region. The epic is about heroes who lived in the 12th century CE. Formal literary works in Bundeli dates from the reign of Emperor Akbar. Notable figures are the poet Kesab Das of the 16th century, while Padmakar Bhatt and Prajnes wrote several works during the 19th century. Prannath and Lal Kabi, produced many works in Bundeli language at the court of Chhatrasal of Panna.

List of Official Languages by Indian States | Indian Traditional Literature

Few languages and their respective literature has been mentioned above in progressive sequence. Apart from/ Along with these, few Indian languages are mentioned here, in which published or unpublished literature must have been written.

S. No.	States	Official Languages	Second Official Language(s)
1.	Andhra Pradesh	Telugu	English
2.	Arunachal Pradesh	English	–
3.	Assam	Assamese	Bengali, Bodo
4.	Bihar	Hindi	Urdu
5.	Chhattisgarh	Hindi	Chhattisgarhi
6.	Goa	Konkani, English	Marathi
7.	Gujarat	Gujarati	Hindi
8.	Haryana	Hindi	English, Punjabi
9.	Himachal Pradesh	Hindi	Sanskrit
10.	Jharkhand	Hindi	Angika, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Magahi, Maithili, Mundari, Nagpuri, Odia, Santali and Urdu
11.	Karnataka	Kannada	English
12.	Kerala	Malayalam	English
13.	Madhya Pradesh	Hindi	–
14.	Maharashtra	Marathi	–
15.	Manipur	Manipuri	English
16.	Meghalaya	English	Khasi and Garo
17.	Mizoram	Mizo	English, Hindi
18.	Nagaland	English	–
19.	Odisha	Odia	–
20.	Punjab	Punjabi	–
21.	Rajasthan	Hindi	–
22.	Sikkim	English, Nepali, Sikkimese, Lepcha	Gurung, Limbu, Magar, Mukhia, Newari, Rai, Sherpa and Tamang
23.	Tamil Nadu	Tamil	English
24.	Telangana	Telugu	Urdu
25.	Tripura	Bengali, English, Kokborok	–
26.	Uttar Pradesh	Hindi	Urdu
27.	Uttarakhand	Hindi	Sanskrit, Kumaoni and Garhwali
28.	West Bengal	Bengali, English	Nepali, Urdu, Hindi, Odia, Santali, Punajbi, Kamtapuri, Rajbanshi, Kurmali, Kurukh and Telugu

These languages are recognized as most popular languages of India; hence these languages are needed to be preserved for the next generations. Local(Indian State’s) mother tongues are not included in this list.

List of Official Languages by Union Territories | Indian Traditional Literature

Few languages and their respective literature has been mentioned above in progressive sequence. Apart from/ Along with these, few Indian languages are mentioned here, in which published or unpublished literature must have been written.

S. No.	Union Territories	Official Languages	Second Official Language(s)
1.	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Hindi, English	–
2.	Chandigarh	English	–
3.	Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu	Gujarati, Konkani, Marathi, Hindi	–
4.	Delhi	Hindi, English	Urdu and Punjabi
5.	Lakshadweep	Malayalam	English
6.	Jammu and Kashmir	Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi, Urdu, English	–
7.	Ladakh	Hindi, English	–
8.	Puducherry	Tamil, French, English	Telugu and Malayalam

These languages are recognized as most popular languages of India; hence these languages are needed to be preserved for the next generations. Local(Indian State’s) mother tongues are not included in this list.

Indian culture is one that has been passed on from generation to generation through traditions and folklores. These Indian folk arts are a representation of the Indian culture. It is a form of art that has been created in by the people in India, for the people in India. Therefore, we should share and promote these Indian folk art forms to raise awareness among the masses about their existence. Sharing them on social media platforms, traditional media platforms such as Electronic Media, Print Media, Web Channels, and International Magazines etc. are a great way to generate interest for these art forms.

Art is one of our most sacred medium to communicate with others especially when it comes to culture and heritage of a region or nation. Let’s celebrate the rich culture of Indian folk art and do our bit to deliver it on to the next generation. This will be counted in the great acts of kindness.

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S. No.

States

Official Languages

Second Official Language(s)

1.

Andhra Pradesh

Telugu

English

2.

Arunachal Pradesh

English

–

3.

Assam

Assamese

Bengali, Bodo

4.

Bihar

Hindi

Urdu

5.

Chhattisgarh

Hindi

Chhattisgarhi

6.

Goa

Konkani, English

Marathi

7.

Gujarat

Gujarati

Hindi

8.

Haryana

Hindi

English, Punjabi

9.

Himachal Pradesh

Hindi

Sanskrit

10.

Jharkhand

Hindi

Angika, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Magahi, Maithili, Mundari, Nagpuri, Odia, Santali and Urdu

11.

Karnataka

Kannada

English

12.

Kerala

Malayalam

English

13.

Madhya Pradesh

Hindi

–

14.

Maharashtra

Marathi

–

15.

Manipur

Manipuri

English

16.

Meghalaya

English

Khasi and Garo

17.

Mizoram

Mizo

English, Hindi

18.

Nagaland

English

–

19.

Odisha

Odia

–