The Indian classical languages are the languages of India perceived as having high antiquity, and valuable, original and distinct literary heritage. The Government of India declared in 2004 that languages meeting strict criteria could be accorded the status of a classical language of India. It was instituted by the Ministry of Culture along with the Linguistic Experts' Committee. The committee was constituted by the Government of India to consider demands for the categorisation of languages as classical languages. In 2004, Tamil became the first language to be recognised as a classical language of India. As of 2024, 11 languages have been recognised as classical languages of India.