The government is setting up Centres of Excellence for classical languages including Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia, according to the week’s official announcements.

The centres are aimed at promoting research, documentation and teaching in the classical languages. India currently recognises 11 classical languages, a status that brings dedicated funding for preservation and scholarship.

Classical language status requires a language to have a recorded history of over 1,500 years, a body of ancient literature and an original literary tradition. The designation has been a matter of pride for states whose languages qualify.

The new centres are expected to support scholars, digitise manuscripts and develop teaching material. Details on locations and funding are awaited.

India recognises 11 classical languages: Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali. Five of these were added in October 2024, expanding the list from the original six. Scholars have long sought such institutional support for research in these languages.