Maharashtri Prakrit

The rise of the Prakrits is dated to the middle of the second millennium BCE when they existed alongside Vedic Sanskrit and later evolved into highly developed literary languages.{{cite book|last1=Dani|first1=A. H.|title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia|date=June 1993|publisher=Unesco Publishing|isbn=92-3-102719-0|page=357|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6lPzhfNRZ9IC&pg=PA357}} It is a subject of scholarly debate as to whether Sanskrit or the Prakrits are older with some scholars contending that Sanskrit was born out of the Prakrits. According to the Sanskrit scholar, Rajaramshastri Bhagawat, Maharashtri is older and more vivacious than Sanskrit.{{cite web|title=Submission for Classical Status Of Marathi Language|date=November 2013|page=81|url=https://marathibhasha.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/pdf/english/main.pdf|accessdate=25 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411025852/https://marathibhasha.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/pdf/english/main.pdf|archive-date=11 April 2016|url-status=dead}} {{quote|Through many evidences Ketkar and Bhagwat have demonstrated that Marathi has not originated from Sanskrit but it is as old as Sanskrit. While highlighting the conclusion of research of Rajaramshastri Bhagwat, Durga Bhagwat (1979, p. 2) remarks, "He showed that old Mahārāṣṭrī is older and more vivacious than Sanskrit." It is an important observation and view both as it comes from Rajaramshastri Bhagwat and Durgabai Bhagwat who were both scholars of Sanskrit and Marathi and their dialects, respectively.}}

Vararuchi, the oldest known grammarian of Prakrit, devotes four chapters of his Prakrita-Prakasha ({{IAST3|Prákṛta-Prakāśa}}) to the grammar of Maharashtri Prakrit. The other popular Prakrits—Shauraseni, Magadhi, Ardhamagadhi, and Paishachi—merit only one each.{{cite journal|last1=Verma|first1=C.B.|last2=Varma|first2=C.B.|title=The Prakrit Bloom|journal=Indian Literature|date=2002|volume=46|issue=1 (207)|page=144|jstor=23344538}} This preeminence of Maharashtri is confirmed by Dandin ({{flourished|6th–7th century}}) who, in his Kavyadarsha, grants it the highest status among all Prakrits.{{cite web|title=Prakrit languages|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Prakrit-languages|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica}}

Maharashtri is the most attested amongst all Prakrit languages.{{cite book|title=Introduction to Prakrit|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.531194|author=Alfred C. Woolner|date=1928 }} It was spoken from Malwa and Rajputana (north) to the Krishna River and Tungabhadra River region (south). Historians agree that Maharashtri and other Prakrit languages prevailed in what is now modern Maharashtra.V.Rajwade, Maharashtrache prachin rajyakarte

Maharashtri was widely spoken in Western India and even as far south as Kannada-speaking region.C. V. Vaidya, History of Medieval Hindu India, Being a History of India from 600 to 1200 AD, in 3 vols.: Vol. I, p. 317. {{ISBN|81-7020-438-0}}

"Paumachariyam", written by Vimalsuri is the earliest known Jain version of the Ramayana and the oldest work of literature written in Maharashtri Prakrit.{{Cite book |last=Agrawal |first=Dr Mukta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rd3-EAAAQBAJ&dq=%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B2+%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80&pg=PA137 |title=Vaishivk Paridrashya Main Ram - Sahaitya |publisher=Sadbhawana Publication |isbn=978-81-965928-2-0 |language=hi}} The Gatha Saptashati is attributed to King Hāla (r. 20-24 CE). Other Maharashtri Prakrit works include the Setubandha of Pravarasena II, Karpuramañjarī and SriHarivijay. The language was used by Vakpati to write the poem Gaudavaho.[http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/LLDescription.cfm?code=pmh The Linguist List] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091225003616/http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/LLDescription.cfm?code=pmh |date=2009-12-25 }}Dr.Kolarkar, Marathyancha Itihaas It is also used in the dialogue and songs of low-class characters in Sanskrit plays, especially the famous dramatist Kālidāsa.

Maharashtri was the official language of the Satavahana dynasty in the early centuries of the Common Era.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3tAqIU0dPsC&q=official+language+Maharashtri+Prakrit+Satavahanas&pg=PA118|title=One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost|last=Peter|first=Austin|publisher=University of California Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0520255609|location=California|pages=118}} Under the patronage of the Satavahana Empire, Maharashtri became the most widespread Prakrit of its time, and also dominated the literary culture amongst the three "Dramatic" Prakrits of the time, Maharashtri, Shauraseni and Magadhi. A version of Maharashtri called Jaina Maharashtri was also employed to write Jain scripture.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

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Category:Languages of India

Category:Marathi language

Category:Cultural history of Maharashtra

Category:Prakrit languages

Category:Indo-Aryan languages