Indo-Aryan Group of Languages is a branch of Indo-European group languages, which came to India with the advent of Aryans. The majority of the population, around 74%, of Indians speak languages belonging to this group. Indo-Aryan languages are primarily spoken in the Indian subcontinent, also known as South Asia. This region includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and the islands of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. In this article, we will look at the Indo-Aryan group of languages that are important for the preparation of the UPSC examination.

Indo-Aryan Languages

• It is one of the largest groups of languages in India.
• This group accounts for 74% of the total Indian population.
• It constitutes some of the major languages of northern and western India such as Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Sindhi, Rajasthani, Assamese, Oriya, Pahari, Bihari, Kashmiri, Urdu, and Sanskrit.
• It is also spoken by expatriate communities across the world such as Europe, North America, Australia, etc.
• There are more than 200 known Indo-Aryan languages.

Regions Representing Indo-Aryan Languages

Types of Indo-Aryan Languages

Indo-Aryan languages are divided into various subgroups based on their period of origin. These are:

• Old Indo-Aryan Group
• Middle Indo-Aryan Group
• Modern Indo-Aryan Group

Types of Indo-Aryan Languages

Old Indo-Aryan Group

• This group of languages was formed around 1500 BC.
• Sanskrit originated from the old Indo-Aryan group of languages.
• It is considered to be the mother of all Indian languages.
• Sanskrit has found its use in Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, and Dharmasutras.
• The development of the Sanskrit language during those times made it possible to comprehend the diversity and richness of our culture.
• It is our country's oldest language and one of the 22 scheduled languages listed in the Constitution.
• This group is regarded as the earliest stage of the Indo-Aryan branch, from which all later stages emerged.

Development of Sanskrit

• Panini developed Sanskrit grammar in 400 B.C., with his book Asthadhyayi being the oldest book in Sanskrit grammar.
• Some Buddhist literature belonging to the Mahayana and Hinayana schools is even written in Sanskrit. The Hinayana school's book Mahavastu is a treasure trove of stories.
• The most sacred Mahayana text, Lalitavistara, and Ashvagosha's Buddhacharita were also written in Sanskrit.
• Sanskrit is the only language that has transcended regional and geographical boundaries. From north to south and east to west, no part of India has not contributed to or been influenced by the Sanskrit language.
• Between 300 BC and 200 BC, the chaste form of Sanskrit developed. It was a more refined form of Vedic Sanskrit.
• The inscriptions of Rudradamana at Junagarh in the present-day Southern Gujarat region contain the earliest evidence of the use of Sanskrit.
• However, the use of Sanskrit in poetry can be traced back to the Gupta period. This is a period of pure literature creation, as evidenced by the Mahakavyas (epics) and Khandakavyas (semi-epics).
• This period is known as the period of unique creation in Sanskrit literature. This is because a wide range of literary works was created during this reign.
• Many of the places built during the Gupta period were also written in Sanskrit.
• It should be noted, however, that one of the characteristics of these places was the use of Sanskrit language by characters of high varna and the use of Prakrit language by women and Shudras.

Middle Indo-Aryan Group

• This group of languages was formed around 600 BC to 1000 AD.
• It is characterized by the development of the Prakrit language.
• Prakrit was used as an informal language commonly by the masses. Sanskrit, on the other hand, was orthodox, had fixed rules, and was used by learned people or the elites, particularly Brahmins.
• Prakrit includes languages such as Ardha-Magadhi, Pali (used in Theravada Buddhism), and Apabhramsa.
• Prakrit and Ardha-Magadhi were used for writing of Jain Agamas.
• Prakrit literature developed at a later stage as compared to Sanskrit.

Prakrit Alphabets

Prakrit includes the following groups of languages:

Pali

• It was popular in Magadha.
• Was widely spoken during 5th–1st century BC.
• It is written in Brahmi script.
• Tripitaka of Buddhism was written in the Pali language.

Pali Script

Magadhi Prakrit or Ardha-Magadhi

• It is the most popular form of Prakrit.
• It was widely used after the decline of Sanskrit and Pali.
• It is believed that Buddha and Mahavira spoke in Ardha-Magadhi.
• It was used as a language in courts by some Mahajanapadas as well as the Mauryan dynasty.
• Several Jain texts and Ashoka's Rock edicts were also written in Ardha-Magadhi.
• It later evolved into Eastern Indian languages such as Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Maithili, Bhojpuri, and so on.

Shauraseni

• It is also called Dramatic Prakrit.
• It was used to write plays in medieval times.
• It originated before other Northern Indian languages.
• One of the oldest texts of Digambara Jains ‘Shatkhandgama’ was written in Shauraseni.

Maharashtri Prakrit

• It was widely spoken till the 9th century AD.
• It was a predecessor to Marathi and Konkani.
• It was used as the official language of the Satavahana Dynasty.
• Several dramas were written in it, including 'Gaha Kosha' by King Hala and 'Gaudavaho' (the slaying of Gauda's king) by Vakpati.

Paishachi

• An ancient epic Gunadhya’s Brihatkatha (6th century) was written in Paishachi.
• It is also known as 'Bhuta-Bhasa' (dead language).

Elu

• It is similar to the Pali language.
• It is the ancient form of present-day Sinhala Language popular in Sri Lanka.

Development of Apabhramsa

• By the sixth and seventh centuries, the development of 'Apabhramsa' had occurred.
• Apabhramsa is also a catch-all term for dialects other than Sanskrit or Prakrit.
• It marks the transition from the Middle to the Modern Indo-Aryan Group of languages.
• Apabhramsha gradually evolved into a literary language, and it was used to write a variety of texts, legends, and other works.
• Apabhramsa had developed its own identity by the 7th century. This is demonstrated by the fact that Bhamaha, a renowned poet of Kashmir in the sixth or seventh centuries, divided poetry into Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Apabhramsha.
• Dandin also stated that Apabhramsa is the common people's dialect.
• Many Jain monks and scholars contributed to and upheld Apabhramsa.
• Pushpadanta's Mahapurana (Digambara Jain text) and Dhanapala's Bhavisayattakaha were some major texts written in Apabhramsa.

Modern Indo-Aryan Group

• This group of languages developed slowly after 1000 AD.
• Languages belonging to this group are spoken in western and the eastern parts of India.
• Languages included are Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Sindhi, Odia, Urdu, etc.
• It has different scripts however the grammar is similar.

Conclusion

Indo-Aryan languages are a branch of Indo-European languages that have evolved over several centuries. It includes groups of languages that were spoken during ancient, medieval, and modern times. This group caters to a wide variety of speakers in India as well as around the world.