In this article, we will read about the official languages of the Indian States and Union Territories. Language plays a major role in connecting the people of a country. India is a language-rich country; many languages are spoken here.
In ancient times, many civilizations arose and fell in India, due to which all these civilizations influenced the linguistic development of the country. After independence, when states were formed on the basis of administration, there were protests in many parts of the country that states should be formed not on the basis of administration but on the basis of language.
List of Official Languages of the Indian States and Union Territories
In this sequence, in 1956, Andhra Pradesh became the first state of India formed on the basis of language. 22 languages of the country have been included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Initially, 14 languages were included in the Eighth Schedule but later through constitutional amendment, 8 other Indian languages were included in this schedule.
There are a total of 28 states in India, and each state has its own unique history, culture, and language. In this article, we will read about the official languages of different states of India.
Q. How many languages in india?
Answer: Following languages are in India:
Official Languages of the Indian States:
| S.No. | State | Official Languages |
| 1. | Andhra Pradesh | Telugu |
| 2. | Arunachal Pradesh | English |
| 3. | Assam | Assamese |
| 4. | Bihar | Hindi |
| 5. | Chhattisgarh | Hindi |
| 6. | Goa | Konkani, English |
| 7. | Gujarat | Gujarati |
| 8. | Haryana | Hindi |
| 9. | Himachal Pradesh | Hindi |
| 10. | Jharkhand | Hindi |
| 11. | Karnataka | Kannada |
| 12. | Kerala | Malayalam |
| 13. | Madhya Pradesh | Hindi |
| 14. | Maharashtra | Marathi |
| 15. | Manipur | Manipuri |
| 16. | Meghalaya | English |
| 17. | Mizoram | Mizo |
| 18. | Nagaland | English |
| 19. | Odisha | Odia |
| 20. | Punjab | Punjabi |
| 21. | Rajasthan | Hindi |
| 22. | Sikkim | English, Nepali, Sikkimese, and Lepcha |
| 23. | Tamil Nadu | Tamil |
| 24. | Telangana | Telugu |
| 25. | Tripura | Bengali, English, and Kokborok |
| 26. | Uttar Pradesh | Hindi |
| 27. | Uttarakhand | Hindi |
| 28. | West Bengal | Bengali |
List of Official Languages of Union Territories:
| Name of the Union Territory | Languages |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Hindi and English |
| Chandigarh | English |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | Gujarati, Marathi, Konkani and Hindi |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Kashmiri, Dogri, English, Hindi, and Urdu |
| Delhi | Hindi |
| Ladakh | Ladakhi, Purgi, Hindi, and English |
| Lakshadweep | Malayalam and English |
| Pondicherry | Tamil |
Gujarat
The official language of Gujarat state is Gujarati. The Gujarati language is one of the 22 scheduled languages included in the Eighth Schedule of India. This is the language spoken in Gujarat, Diu, and Maharashtra. Hindi is the second official language of Gujarat.
Maharashtra
The official language of Maharashtra is Marathi. The Marathi language is one of the 22 scheduled languages included in the Eighth Schedule of India.
Marathi is the third most spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali.
Goa
The official language of Goa is Konkani. It is a very controversial topic. What should be the official language of Goa? Controversy continues on this question from time to time. Some people argue in favor of Marathi, saying that Konkani is not a language but a dialect, while Marathi is a language. So the official language of Goa should be Marathi.
Konkani is one of the 22 scheduled languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. It is also spoken by the people of states like Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, etc.
Karnataka
The official language of Karnataka is Kannada. Kannada was given the status of a classical language by the Government of India in 2008 and is one of the 22 scheduled languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Apart from Kannada, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Odia languages have also been given the status of classical languages by the Government of India.
Kerala
The official language of Kerala is Malayalam. Malayalam was recognized as a classical language by the Government of India in 2013 and is one of the 22 scheduled languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Apart from Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Odia languages have also been given the status of classical languages by the Government of India.
Tamil Nadu
Apart from Tamil Nadu, the Tamil language is also the official language of Puducherry. Tamil was recognized as a classical language by the Government of India in 2004 and is one of the 22 scheduled languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Apart from Tamil, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Odia have also been given the status of classical languages by the Government of India. Tamil is the first language to be given the status of a classical language by the Government of India.
Andhra Pradesh
The official language of Andhra Pradesh is Telugu. Telugu was recognized as a classical language by the Government of India in 2008 and is one of the 22 scheduled languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Apart from Telugu, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Odia have also been given the status of classical languages by the Government of India.
Also Read: North East States of India amazing 2023
Odisha
The official language of Odisha is Odia. Odia was recognized as a classical language by the Government of India in 2014 and is one of the 22 scheduled languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Apart from Oriya, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu have also been given the status of classical languages by the Government of India.
West Bengal
The official language of West Bengal is Bengali. Bengali is the second most spoken language in India after Hindi. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
Sikkim
Nepali, Sikkimese, Lepcha, and English are the official languages of Sikkim. The Lepcha language is a major language spoken in Sikkim, Nepal, and Bhutan and is currently classified as “definitely endangered” in the list of endangered languages in India. Lepchas are a major tribe living in Sikkim.
The people of Sikkim call their Sikkimese language “Drenjinke,” and in this language, the people of Sikkim call their birthplace Drendjong.
Assam
The official languages of Assam state are Assamese, Bodo, and Bengali.
The Bodo language is one of the 22 languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. The Bodo language was included in the Eighth Schedule through the 93rd Constitutional Amendment in 2003.
Meghalaya
The official languages in the state of Meghalaya are English, Garo, and Khasi. Currently, there are about 10 lakh people speaking Garo. Apart from Meghalaya, this language is spoken by the people of Assam and Bangladesh. The number of people speaking Khasi is estimated at 11 to 12 lakh.
Tripura
The official languages of Tripura are English, Bengali, and Kokborok. The Kokborok language is spoken by the people of the Tripuri community; hence, it is also known as the Tripuri language. Kokborok is mainly spoken by the people of Tripura and Bangladesh.
Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland
The official language of both states is English.
Manipur
Manipuri is one of the 22 languages included in Schedule 8 of the Constitution of India and is the official language of Manipur. The original inhabitants of the state of Manipur are called Maitai, and the language spoken by them is called Maitai or Manipuri. In 1992, the Manipuri language was included in the Eighth Schedule through the 71st Constitutional Amendment.
Mizoram
The official languages of this state are English and Mizo. Mizo are also known as Lushai.
Himachal Pradesh
Hindi and Sanskrit are the official languages of this state. Sanskrit is a language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India and is the official language of Himachal Pradesh as well as Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand
Hindi and Sanskrit are the official languages of this state. Sanskrit is a language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.Apart from Uttarakhand, it is also the official language of Himachal Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh
The official languages of Uttar Pradesh are Hindi and Urdu. Urdu is one of the original 14 languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Bihar and Jharkhand
The official language of both the states is Hindi. Maithili is the major language spoken in Bihar and Jharkhand and was included in the Eighth Schedule through the 93rd Constitutional Amendment in 2003.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarhi and Hindi are the official languages of this state. The Chhattisgarhi language is spoken by about 2 crore people, and the spoken language of most of the residents of Chhattisgarh is Chhattisgarhi.
Madhya Pradesh
Hindi is the official language of M.P.
Telangana
The state language of this state is Telugu. Telugu was recognized as a classical language by the Government of India in 2008 and is one of the 22 languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Apart from Telugu, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Odia languages have also been given the status of classical languages by the Government of India