Magadhi Prakrit
Written language of Ancient India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Magadhi Prakrit (Māgadhī) is of one of the three Dramatic Prakrits, the written languages of Classical-Medieval India following the decline of Pali. It was a vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan language, replacing earlier Vedic Sanskrit.[2]
-
Indo-Iranian
- Indo-Aryan
- Magadhi Prakrit
- Indo-Aryan
| Magadhi Prakrit | |
|---|---|
| Māgadhī | |
| Brahmi: 𑀫𑀸𑀕𑀥𑀻 | |
| Region | India |
| Extinct | developed into the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages[1] |
Indo-European
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
History and overview
Magadhi Prakrit was spoken in the eastern Indian subcontinent, in a region spanning what is now eastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal.[3][4] Associated with the ancient Magadha, it was spoken in present-day Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and eastern Uttar Pradesh under various apabhramsha dialects,[5] and used in some Prakrit dramas to represent vernacular dialogue. It is believed to be the language spoken by the important religious figures Gautama Buddha and Mahavira[6] and was also the language of the courts of the Magadha Mahajanapada and the Maurya Empire; some of the Edicts of Ashoka were composed in it.[4][7]
Magadhi Prakrit later evolved into the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, categorised into four groups:[1][8]