The Spread of Regional Literature

Both language and culture are inextricably linked. Despite India’s numerous linguistic quirks, regional literature, although expressing the distinctive subtleties of local culture, still rises above the merely local to represent something that is of national identity in exact proportion. In truth, regional literature has frequently aided in developing just a national identity, a national consciousness, and a national culture. India seems to have a diverse linguistic population. There’s no such thing as a universal language, even in ancient times. Sanskrit was mostly spoken by the social elite, while Prakrit or Ardha Magadhi seemed to be more widely spoken.

Literature

Various causes affected medieval Indian literature, with Hindu and Muslim religions dominating the scene. In India, the Middle Ages were characterised by constant change. Ordinary life in the Middle Ages was extremely complex and constantly changing. The continual stream of migratory population brought along a diverse set of beliefs, rituals, habits, and lifestyles, igniting large swaths of India. The growth of philosophical movements and the sublime popularity of such genres nurtured natural resources or reactions to external events, allowing people to be best ready for the worst. The final result of this period was a vivid kaleidoscope of language and literature that reflected or replicated the themes of rivalry between two dominating religions: Hinduism and Islam. Mediaeval Indian literature was entirely based on these ideas, and as a result, it developed one’s distinct history.

Sanskrit Literature

Sanskrit literature is a collection of works created by Aryan peoples who arrived in India from the northwest about the 2nd millennium BC. It evolved as a means of expression for Brahmanical society, which steadily entrenched itself as the dominant cultural force in the region before the Muslim conquest. The classical period of Sanskrit ended around AD 1000, only with the age of a Vedic hymn starting around 1500 BC. Most literary works are difficult to date over 2,500 years, and the challenge is worsened by the desire to attribute authorship to well-known and legendary individuals. The Vedic period, roughly 1500–200 BC, and the classical period, roughly 500 BC-AD 1000, seem to be the two primary periods within the formation of the literature.

Language and Literature

The expansion of Sanskrit across the subcontinent and the emergence of several regional vernaculars occurred during the Early Medieval period. Sanskrit was the language of the court and the elites, but its use was limited to a few educated people. It was the favoured language for writing about Brahmanical philosophy, religion, and the normative texts with their comments, particularly the Vedanta and Mimamsa texts (digests). Buddhist or Jaina educational institutions utilised Sanskrit widely. Hemachandra, a renowned Jain polymath, wrote Sanskrit books such as Dvayasrayakavya and Parisista Parvan. Sanskrit would have been the primary language used to write the life biographies (charitas) of notable political figures in north India. Banabhatta’s Harshacharita would have been the earliest text of this kind, as well as the tradition continued unabated in Sandhyakaranandin’s Ramacharitam and Bilhana’s Vikramankadevacharitam. Sanskrit was also the preferred language for technical writings. The grasp of grammar was given a lot of attention. The study of grammar and etymology could be classified as rational inquiries, and both orthodox and heterodox schools explored them. The majority of Buddhist monasteries have also been known for their grammatical studies. 

Marathi, Bengali, and Gujarati are examples of north Indian desi bhashas which date back to the Early Middle Ages. A comparable linguistic explosion may be seen in south India, where Kanarese and Telugu have truly taken off. The formation of these languages was intimately linked to regional socio-political institutions, and religious movements in these areas played an essential role in their development. The Indo-Aryan languages of the north, middle, and east India developed a distinct regional character between 1000 and 1300 CE. Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, and Oriya were among the languages that drew the most interest.

Conclusion

India’s regional literature — novels, poems, short stories, folk tales, regional versions of the major epics – Mahabharata & Ramayana, among others – has been one of humanity’s most rich creations. However, in terms of ‘public awareness,’ these stories, characters, and poems are only vaguely remembered. Such inventions have a significant soft power potential that may appeal to people’s imaginations overseas while also communicating the ‘concept of India’ – its values, people, and diversity.