Tamil was the first language in India to be declared a classical language, by a Union Home Ministry notification on 12 October 2004. Twenty-two years on, there are 11 classical languages, and the recognition still shapes how Tamil scholarship is funded, from the Central Institute of Classical Tamil at Perumbakkam to the national awards given to Tamil scholars each year.
This explainer looks at the status itself: what the test was, how it has changed, which languages followed Tamil and what the label brings in money and awards. It does not repeat the institute’s own programmes, which have their own guide on this site.
What “classical” means in law
There is no Act of Parliament behind the label. It is an executive category that the Union government created on 12 October 2004, naming Tamil first, according to a PMIndia release. A month later, in November 2004, the Ministry of Culture set up a Linguistic Experts Committee under the Sahitya Akademi to examine claims from other languages.
The test has been revised twice. A PIB backgrounder from October 2024 sets out each version:
| Version | Antiquity required | Other main conditions |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 (Tamil declared) | Early texts or recorded history of over 1,000 years | Ancient literature valued as heritage; an original literary tradition not borrowed from another speech community |
| 2005 (Sanskrit declared) | 1,500 to 2,000 years | Heritage literature; original tradition; the classical form may be discontinuous with later forms |
| 2024 (five languages added) | 1,500 to 2,000 years | Heritage literature; knowledge texts in prose as well as poetry, plus inscriptional evidence; classical form may differ from the current one |
The experts committee revised the criteria unanimously on 25 July 2024, and the Union Cabinet approved five new classical languages on 3 October 2024. The Sahitya Akademi is now the nodal agency for the committee. The government’s release on that decision also expected the status to create work in research, archiving, translation, publishing and digital media as old texts are preserved and digitised.
The 11 classical languages and when they were recognised
| Language | Date recognised |
|---|---|
| Tamil | 12 October 2004 |
| Sanskrit | 25 November 2005 |
| Telugu | 31 October 2008 |
| Kannada | 31 October 2008 |
| Malayalam | 8 August 2013 |
| Odia | 1 March 2014 |
| Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, Bengali | 3 October 2024 (Cabinet approval) |
What the status brings
The PIB note lists the main benefits: national awards for scholars, university chairs and dedicated centres. Tamil has a stand-alone institution, the Central Institute of Classical Tamil in Chennai. Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia have centres of excellence under the Central Institute of Indian Languages in Mysuru, and Sanskrit has three central universities set up by Act of Parliament in 2020.
The same note carries a grants table for 2014-15 to 2023-24. Its Tamil column shows ₹1,200 lakh (₹12 crore) a year from 2020-21 to 2022-23 and ₹1,525 lakh (₹15.25 crore) in 2023-24, the largest figures in the table. The table’s layout is uneven for earlier years, so use the PIB document itself if you need year-by-year comparisons.
The Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil
The most visible result is a set of awards presented at Rashtrapati Bhavan. A Ministry of Education release of May 2015 describes eight awards a year:
- Tholkappiyar Award: lifetime achievement for an Indian scholar, ₹5 lakh.
- Kural Peedam Awards: two international awards, one for a person of Indian origin and one for a foreign scholar, ₹5 lakh each.
- Young Scholar Awards: five awards for scholars aged 30 to 40, ₹1 lakh each.
The first ceremony for these awards, on 9 October 2013, covered 2009-10 and 2010-11. The epigraphist Iravatham Mahadevan received the Tholkappiyar Award for 2009-10 and Prof. Tamizhannal Periakaruppan for 2010-11, the President’s Secretariat recorded. Czech scholar Jaroslav Vacek and British scholar John Ralston Marr received Kural Peedam awards. The award cycles have often run several years behind, so announcements tend to cover more than one year at a time.
Translation as the visible output
Much recent work is translation. The Central Institute of Classical Tamil said in December 2025 that the Thirukkural had been translated into 34 languages, including 25 Indian languages, with a target of 100, according to a PTI report carried by The Week. The Tholkappiyam, the oldest Tamil grammar, was released in 10 languages on 2 December 2025 at Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi.
Quick answers
When was Tamil declared a classical language?
On 12 October 2004, the first language to receive the status.
How many classical languages does India have now?
Eleven, after five were added on 3 October 2024.
Who decides which languages qualify?
A Linguistic Experts Committee set up in 2004 under the Sahitya Akademi, with the Union Cabinet giving final approval.
What is the top classical Tamil award?
The Tholkappiyar Award for lifetime achievement, which carries ₹5 lakh.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Classical Languages of India: backgrounder (Press Information Bureau, October 2024)
- Cabinet approves conferring status of classical language to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali (PMIndia)
- President of India presents Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil, 9 October 2013 (President’s Secretariat)
- Press release on Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil, 13 May 2015 (Ministry of Education)
- Mission Thirukkural: CICT translation drive, PTI report (The Week)
