Indian languages represent one of the world’s greatest linguistic diversities — with over 1,600 mother tongues classified across 121 languages spoken by more than 10,000 people each.
The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 22 official languages, which receive special recognition and development support. Questions on the 22 Scheduled languages, their states, scripts, language families, and the amendments that added them appear regularly in UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, Banking, Railways, and State PSC exams under Art, Culture, and Polity. This page gives you a complete list of all 22 Eighth Schedule languages with scripts, number of speakers, states, and exam-ready facts for 2026.
⚡ Quick Facts
- Eighth Schedule — Currently lists 22 official languages; original count was 14 at Constitution adoption in 1950.
- Hindi — Most widely spoken (~53% of Indians); official language of the Union under Article 343; written in Devanagari script; NOT India’s national language.
- Tamil — World’s oldest living language still in active use; 2,000+ year literary tradition; first Classical Language status given in 2004.
- 6 original Classical Languages — Tamil (2004), Sanskrit (2005), Telugu (2008), Kannada (2008), Malayalam (2013), Odia (2014). Five more added in 2024: Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, Bengali.
- 92nd Amendment (2003) — Most recently added languages: Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali — bringing total from 18 to 22.
Hindi is NOT India’s national language — the Indian Constitution does NOT designate any “national language.” Article 343 designates Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union only. This is one of the most commonly tested constitutional language traps. Also: Santhali is the ONLY Austro-Asiatic language in the Eighth Schedule — not Indo-Aryan, not Dravidian — and uses the unique Ol Chiki script.
✅ My Progress Tracker
📜 Part A — All 22 Eighth Schedule Languages
| # ↕ | Language ↕ | Script | Family | Speakers (M) ↕ | Primary State(s) | Classical | Added | Key Exam Fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assamese | Assamese (like Bengali) | Indo-Aryan | ~15 | Assam | No | Original 1950 | Official language of Assam; easternmost Indo-Aryan language |
| 2 | Bengali | Bengali script | Indo-Aryan | ~100 | West Bengal, Tripura | No (2024 announced) | Original 1950 | 2nd most spoken in India; official in Bangladesh too; Tagore’s language |
| 3 | Gujarati | Gujarati script | Indo-Aryan | ~57 | Gujarat | No | Original 1950 | Mahatma Gandhi’s mother tongue; Jain scriptures in Gujarati |
| 4 | Hindi | Devanagari | Indo-Aryan | ~528 | UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, Haryana + more | No | Original 1950 | Most widely spoken; official language of Union (Art. 343); NOT national language |
| 5 | Kannada | Kannada script | Dravidian | ~44 | Karnataka | Yes (2008) | Original 1950 | Earliest Dravidian inscriptions; Kavirajamarga (850 CE) |
| 6 | Kashmiri | Perso-Arabic (Nastaliq); also Sharada | Indo-Aryan (Dardic) | ~7 | J&K | No | Original 1950 | Not written in Devanagari; uses Arabic-influenced script |
| 7 | Konkani | Devanagari; also Roman and Kannada | Indo-Aryan | ~7.6 | Goa, coastal Karnataka, Kerala | No | 71st Amdt 1992 | Official language of Goa; smallest Eighth Schedule language community |
| 8 | Malayalam | Malayalam script | Dravidian | ~38 | Kerala | Yes (2013) | Original 1950 | Kerala’s language; highest literacy state; unique circular script |
| 9 | Manipuri (Meitei) | Meitei Mayek; also Bengali | Sino-Tibetan | ~2 | Manipur | No | 71st Amdt 1992 | Also called Meitei; unique script recently revived |
| 10 | Marathi | Devanagari | Indo-Aryan | ~83 | Maharashtra | Yes (2024) | Original 1950 | 3rd most spoken in India; language of Maratha Empire; Dnyaneshwar’s Marathi |
| 11 | Nepali | Devanagari | Indo-Aryan | ~3 | Sikkim, West Bengal (Darjeeling) | No | 71st Amdt 1992 | Official language of Sikkim; spoken by Gorkhas; different from Nepal’s national language |
| 12 | Odia | Odia script | Indo-Aryan | ~37 | Odisha | Yes (2014) | Original 1950 | First state language recognised Classical under new 2004 criteria (in 2014) |
| 13 | Punjabi | Gurmukhi script | Indo-Aryan | ~33 | Punjab | No | Original 1950 | Written in Gurmukhi (Sikh scriptures); also Shahmukhi in Pakistan |
| 14 | Sanskrit | Devanagari | Indo-Aryan (classical) | ~0.025 | Pan-India (Uttarakhand official) | Yes (2005) | Original 1950 | Mother of most Indo-Aryan languages; Mattur village, Uttarkashi speaks Sanskrit |
| 15 | Sindhi | Devanagari + Khudabadi + Perso-Arabic | Indo-Aryan | ~2.8 | Pan-India (no specific state) | No | 21st Amdt 1967 | First language added after original schedule; no specific home state |
| 16 | Tamil | Tamil script | Dravidian | ~78 | Tamil Nadu, Puducherry | Yes (2004 — FIRST) | Original 1950 | Oldest living classical language; 2,000+ year literary tradition; first Classical status (2004) |
| 17 | Telugu | Telugu script | Dravidian | ~83 | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana | Yes (2008) | Original 1950 | “Italian of the East” (vowel-ending words); 2nd most spoken Dravidian |
| 18 | Urdu | Perso-Arabic (Nastaliq) | Indo-Aryan | ~52 | J&K, Telangana; pan-India | No | Original 1950 | Same spoken origin as Hindi (Khari Boli); mutually intelligible; Persianised vocabulary |
| 19 | Bodo | Devanagari | Sino-Tibetan | ~1.4 | Assam | No | 92nd Amdt 2003 | Largest Plains Tribal language in NE India; Bodoland Territorial Council |
| 20 | Dogri | Devanagari | Indo-Aryan | ~2.6 | J&K (Jammu region) | No | 92nd Amdt 2003 | Language of Jammu region; distinct from Kashmiri |
| 21 | Maithili | Mithilakshar + Devanagari | Indo-Aryan | ~34 | Bihar (Mithila region), Jharkhand | No | 92nd Amdt 2003 | Oldest of Bihari languages; Vidyapati’s famous Maithili poetry (14th–15th century) |
| 22 | Santhali | Ol Chiki script | Austro-Asiatic | ~7.6 | Jharkhand, Odisha, WB, Assam | No | 92nd Amdt 2003 | ONLY non-Indo-Aryan, non-Dravidian language in Schedule; Ol Chiki script by Raghunath Murmu (1925) |
📋 Part B — Amendment-wise Additions to the Eighth Schedule
| Amendment | Year | Languages Added | Total After |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original Constitution | 1950 | Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu | 14 |
| 21st Amendment | 1967 | Sindhi | 15 |
| 71st Amendment | 1992 | Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali | 18 |
| 92nd Amendment | 2003 | Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali | 22 |
| Current Total | 2026 | — | 22 |
🌐 Part C — Language Families of India
| Language Family | Languages in 8th Schedule | Other Major Languages | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indo-Aryan (Indo-European) | Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Odia, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Urdu, Nepali, Konkani, Maithili, Dogri, Sanskrit (15 languages) | Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, Awadhi, Haryanvi, Chhattisgarhi | Descended from Sanskrit via Prakrits and Apabhramsha; ~75% of Indians |
| Dravidian | Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam (4 languages) | Tulu, Kodava, Gondi, Kurukh | Unrelated to Indo-Aryan; southern India; agglutinative morphology; ~25% of Indians |
| Sino-Tibetan | Bodo, Manipuri (2 languages) | Mizo, Nagamese, Garo, most NE tribal languages | Chinese-Tibetan family; monosyllabic tendency; Northeast India |
| Austro-Asiatic | Santhali (1 language) | Mundari, Ho, Khasi, Nicobarese | Most ancient family; tribal; Jharkhand, NE, Andaman; Ol Chiki script unique to Santhali |
🏛️ Part D — Classical Languages of India
| Language | Classical Status Year | Key Criterion | Key Exam Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamil | 2004 (FIRST) | 2,000+ year literary tradition; independent of other languages | First to receive Classical status; oldest living classical language in world; Sangam literature |
| Sanskrit | 2005 | Ancient; mother of Indo-Aryan languages; Vedic literature | Language of Vedas, Upanishads; Mattur village, Uttarkashi speaks Sanskrit daily |
| Telugu | 2008 | 1,000+ year literary tradition; independent tradition | “Italian of the East” (words end in vowels); Nannaya’s Mahabharata in Telugu |
| Kannada | 2008 | 1,000+ year literary tradition; independent inscriptions | Earliest Dravidian inscriptions; Kavirajamarga (850 CE); same year as Telugu |
| Malayalam | 2013 | 1,000+ year literary tradition; literary heritage | Late classical recognition despite ancient tradition; Ramacharitam (earliest text) |
| Odia | 2014 | 1,000+ year literary tradition; independent tradition | First state language recognised Classical under new 2004 criteria; Jagannath Priya |
| Marathi | 2024 | Rich medieval literary tradition; Dnyaneshwari (1290 CE) | Announced by PM Modi; 3rd most spoken in India |
| Pali | 2024 | Ancient Buddhist canon language | Language of Theravada Buddhist scriptures; ancient liturgical language |
| Prakrit | 2024 | Middle Indo-Aryan; Jain scriptures | Announced 2024 alongside Pali and Marathi; Jain canonical literature |
| Assamese | 2024 | Rich literary tradition; ancient heritage | Most recent batch of classical languages (2024) |
| Bengali | 2024 | Rich literary tradition; Tagore’s language | Tagore’s Nobel Prize (1913) in Gitanjali; ancient literary tradition |
⚖️ Part E — Constitutional Provisions on Language (Articles 343–351)
| Article | Subject | Key Provision |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 343 | Official language of the Union | Hindi in Devanagari script = official language; English continues (extended by Parliament) |
| Art. 344 | Official Language Commission | President constitutes OLC; report on Hindi progress |
| Art. 345 | State official languages | States may adopt any language(s) as their official state language |
| Art. 346 | Official language between states | English or any 8th Schedule language for inter-state communication |
| Art. 347 | Special provision on language | President can recognise a language of a state on demand |
| Art. 348 | Language in SC and HCs | English language for Supreme Court and High Court proceedings and laws |
| Art. 350A | Instruction in mother tongue | Provide facilities for instruction in mother tongue at primary level |
| Art. 350B | Special Officer for linguistic minorities | President appoints Officer for Linguistic Minorities; reports to President |
| Art. 351 | Directive for Hindi development | Union’s duty to promote Hindi; draw vocabulary from Sanskrit |
| 8th Schedule | List of official languages | Currently 22 languages; can be amended by Parliament |
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📝 Key Notes & Memory Tips
This is one of the most commonly misunderstood facts in Indian GK. Article 343 designates Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union of India — not as the “national language.” There is no “national language” in the Indian Constitution. English continues as an associate official language of the Union. States have the right to choose their own official language(s) under Article 345.
The Eighth Schedule has been amended 4 times: Original 14 languages (1950) → Sindhi added (21st Amendment, 1967) = 15 → Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali added (71st Amendment, 1992) = 18 → Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali added (92nd Amendment, 2003) = 22. The number sequence 14→15→18→22 and the amendment numbers are directly tested. Demands exist to add Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, Tulu, Kokborok — but none have been added since 2003.
Santhali is unique among the 22 Scheduled languages — it is the only language that belongs to neither the Indo-Aryan nor the Dravidian family. It belongs to the Austro-Asiatic family (Munda sub-group) and has its own distinctive script called Ol Chiki, invented by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925. It is the primary language of the Santhal tribal community — India’s largest tribal group in numbers.
Six languages originally had Classical Language status: Tamil (2004, FIRST), Sanskrit (2005), Telugu (2008), Kannada (2008), Malayalam (2013), Odia (2014). In 2024, the government announced Classical status for Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali — expanding the total to 11. Tamil holds the distinction of being both the FIRST to get Classical status and the world’s oldest living classical language.
Maithili is one of the oldest literary languages of India — the famous medieval poet Vidyapati (c. 1352–1448 CE) wrote in Maithili. Despite its rich literary heritage, it was added to the Eighth Schedule only in 2003 via the 92nd Amendment. It is spoken primarily in the Mithila region of Bihar and parts of Jharkhand. Dogri (Jammu region) and Bodo (Assam) were added in the same 2003 batch.
Original 14 Eighth Schedule languages (alphabetical first letters):
“A Bengali Gujarati Hindi Kannada Kashmiri Malayalam Marathi Odia Punjabi Sanskrit Tamil Telugu Urdu”
→ A = Assamese; sequence = ABGHKKMMPSTTU
Amendments adding languages:
“14 Original → +1 Sindhi (21st, 1967) → +3 Konkani+Manipuri+Nepali (71st, 1992) → +4 Bodo+Dogri+Maithili+Santhali (92nd, 2003) = 22”
Classical Languages of India — original 6 (mnemonic TST KMO):
Tamil (2004) | Sanskrit (2005) | Telugu (2008) | Kannada (2008) | Malayalam (2013) | Odia (2014)
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The Eighth Schedule currently lists 22 languages. The most recent addition was via the 92nd Constitutional Amendment (2003), which added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali — bringing the total from 18 to 22. The original Constitution (1950) had 14 languages; Sindhi was added by the 21st Amendment (1967); Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali were added by the 71st Amendment (1992).
Santhali is the only Eighth Schedule language that belongs to the Austro-Asiatic family (specifically the Munda sub-group) — neither Indo-Aryan nor Dravidian. Its script is Ol Chiki, invented by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925. It is the primary language of the Santhal community — India’s largest tribal group. Bodo is Sino-Tibetan (not Dravidian); Manipuri is also Sino-Tibetan; Nepali is Indo-Aryan.
Tamil was the first language to receive Classical Language status from the Government of India in 2004. It is considered the world’s oldest living classical language, with a literary tradition spanning over 2,000 years — the Sangam literature dates back to approximately 300 BCE to 300 CE. Sanskrit received Classical status in 2005, followed by Telugu and Kannada (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014).
Article 343 designates Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union of India — NOT as the “national language.” The Indian Constitution does not designate any language as the “national language” of India. English continues as an associate official language of the Union (by Parliamentary law). This distinction is critically important and one of the most commonly tested constitutional language facts in UPSC and SSC exams.
Vidyapati (c. 1352–1448 CE) is the most celebrated poet in Maithili literature — often called the “Chaucer of Maithili.” His devotional poetry in praise of Radha-Krishna and Shiva has been sung for centuries in Bihar, Nepal, and the Mithila region. Kabirdas wrote in Hindi (Awadhi/Saddhukkadi), Surdas in Braj Bhasha, and Mirabai in Rajasthani and Braj.
✅ Key Takeaways
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
India has 22 officially recognised languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. These languages receive special recognition and are entitled to representation in the Official Language Commission and other bodies. The Eighth Schedule originally had 14 languages when the Constitution was adopted in 1950. Sindhi was added in 1967 (21st Amendment); Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali in 1992 (71st Amendment); and Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali in 2003 (92nd Amendment), bringing the total to 22. The Schedule does not include all languages spoken in India — there are over 1,600 mother tongues.
India has no national language — the Constitution deliberately does not designate any single language as the “national language.” Article 343 designates Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union, and English continues as an associate official language by Parliamentary law. States have the freedom under Article 345 to adopt any language(s) as their official language(s). For example, Tamil Nadu uses Tamil, Karnataka uses Kannada, and West Bengal uses Bengali as official state languages. The misconception that “Hindi is India’s national language” is one of the most common GK errors in competitive exams.
Classical Language status is given by the Government of India to languages with an ancient literary tradition (typically 1,500–2,000+ years old) that is largely independent of other literature and represents a wealth of original knowledge. Classical status entitles the language to substantial central government support including a National Centre of Excellence and special scholarships. The original six Classical Languages are Tamil (2004 — first and oldest), Sanskrit (2005), Telugu (2008), Kannada (2008), Malayalam (2013), and Odia (2014). In 2024, the government announced Classical status for Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali — expanding the total to 11.
Language-related questions appear in UPSC Prelims (Polity — Articles 343–351 + Eighth Schedule), SSC CGL, Banking GK, Railway exams, and virtually all State PSC exams. Common patterns include: number of Eighth Schedule languages (22), original count and additions (14 → 15 → 18 → 22 with amendments), Hindi is NOT the national language (Article 343 = official language), Classical Languages (Tamil first in 2004; 6 original; 2024 additions), Santhali as only Austro-Asiatic language in Schedule (Ol Chiki script), languages without a home state (Sindhi, Sanskrit, Urdu), and Article 350B (Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities). This page covers all major language GK patterns for 2026 exams.
