Classical languages of India

The Indian classical languages, or the Shastriya Bhasha, is an umbrella term for the languages of India having high antiquity, and valuable, original and distinct literary heritage. The Republic of India officially recognises six languages as the Classical languages of India. In 2004, the Government of India declared that languages that met certain strict criteria could be accorded the status of a "Classical Language" of India. It was instituted by the Ministry of Culture along with the Linguistic Experts' Committee. The committee was constituted by the Government of India to consider demands for categorization of languages as Classical Languages.