Two Villages In India Where Sanskrit Is Still Day-to-Day Language

Sanskrit is the most renowned language around the world and it has its roots from India. Hindi and many other languages are a part of Sanskrit. It is believed that even in the language’s heyday, some 1500 years ago, Sanskrit was not used as a day-to-day language, but was used by Brahman intellectuals for scholarly purposes. However, there are many hamlets in India where Sanskrit is still used for day-to-day communication. Today we introduce you to two such villages where Sanskrit is still their primary language.

# Mattur, Karnataka

Mattur is a village in Shimoga district, some 300 km from Bangalore in Karnataka. It’s known for the usage of Sanskrit for day-to-day communication. Mattur has a Rama temple, a Shivalaya, Someshwara and Lakshmikeshava temples. It is one of the rare villages in India where Sanskrit is spoken as a regional language. Sanskrit is the vernacular of a majority of the 5,000 residents of this quaint, sleepy hamlet, as shopkeepers, laborers, and even children speak it fluently.

# Hoshalli, Karnataka

Hosahalli, along with Mattur, is known for its usage of Sanskrit as a primary language and for its efforts to support Gamaka art, which is a unique form of singing and storytelling in Karnataka along with Sangeetha (Carnatic music).

It’s located on the banks of Tunga River in Karnataka. These two hamlets are almost always referred together by virtue of the villagers’ penchant for using Sanskrit in daily communication.