Chapter Overview

Chhattisgarhi (छत्तीसगढ़ी) is the everyday language of the state’s plains, and since 2007 it has been an official language alongside Hindi. Around it stands a literature that runs from the Kabirpanthi verse of Dharamdas to the 59th Jnanpith Award of Vinod Kumar Shukla, and an oral tradition of proverbs (हाना, hana) and riddles (जनउला, janaula) that every grandparent in the state knows. This chapter gives you the facts Prelims asks (who wrote what, which “first”, which date), the grammar and idioms Mains Paper I tests, and the analysis GS-IV rewards.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to:

Place Chhattisgarhi in the Eastern Hindi family and explain its official status, the Rajbhasha Aayog and Rajbhasha Diwas (28 November)
Use the core grammar: the -मन plural, the ला / ले / म / बर case markers and the main verb forms
Pair each major writer with work, place and honour, from Madhavrao Sapre and Sundarlal Sharma to Muktibodh, Shrikant Verma and Vinod Kumar Shukla
Explain and use common Chhattisgarhi hana and muhavare in sentences
Solve and analyse janaula, and write about oral literature as a social archive

Prerequisites

Formation of the State and Administrative Structure: state symbols, the state song and the 2007 official-language amendment
Hindi Language (Class X level): muhavara vs lokokti and basic Hindi grammar, the reference point for Chhattisgarhi
Folk Music, Dance, Theatre and Crafts: the performed side of the same oral tradition

Learning Path

Follow these topics in order:

graph TD
    A["1. Chhattisgarhi: family, dialects, status"] --> B["2. Grammar basics vs Hindi"]
    B --> C["3. Early and devotional literature"]
    C --> D["4. Pioneers: Sapre, Sundarlal Sharma, Mukutdhar Pandey"]
    D --> E["5. Modern Hindi writers: Muktibodh, Shrikant Verma, V. K. Shukla"]
    E --> F["6. Hana and muhavare"]
    F --> G["7. Janaula: riddles"]
    G --> H["Quick Revision"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers	Read time
1	Chhattisgarhi Language and Grammar Basics	Eastern Hindi family, dialects, Halbi and Gondi distinguished, 2007 Act, Rajbhasha Aayog, Kavyopadhyay’s grammar, pronouns, case markers, verbs	14 min
2	Writers and Poets of Chhattisgarh	Dharamdas, Sapre, Sundarlal Sharma, the Pandey brothers, Bakshi, Muktibodh, Shrikant Verma, Vinod Kumar Shukla, Narendra Dev Verma	14 min
3	Idioms and Proverbs (Muhavare and Hana)	Hana vs muhavara, proverbs with meanings and Hindi twins, body-part idioms used in sentences	12 min
4	Riddles of Chhattisgarh (Janaula)	What a janaula is, how riddles hide answers, solved examples, oral literature as a social archive	10 min
—	Quick Revision	Every name, date and term of this chapter on one page	5 min

Where It Is Asked

Exam Focus

Prelims P-I (Chhattisgarh part): writer-and-work matching, “firsts” (first grammar, first Chhattisgarhi narrative poem, first Jnanpith from the state), the language family, Rajbhasha Diwas and the Aayog, and the meaning of terms such as hana and janaula.
Mains P-I Language: the Chhattisgarhi section tests grammar, translation and the meaning and use of idioms and proverbs.
Mains P-VI GS-IV: language and identity, oral tradition and folk wisdom as part of the social aspects of Chhattisgarh.
Essay and Interview: a well-chosen hana or a line about Muktibodh or Vinod Kumar Shukla adds a strong Chhattisgarh flavour.

Quick Reference

Fact	Detail
Language family	Indo-Aryan, Eastern Hindi (with Awadhi, Bagheli)
Script	Devanagari
First grammar	Hiralal Kavyopadhyay (Dhamtari); English by Grierson (1890)
Official status	Chhattisgarh Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2007
Rajbhasha Diwas	28 November
Rajbhasha Aayog	2008; first chairman Shyamlal Chaturvedi
Eighth Schedule	Not included (as of 2026)
“Adi Kavi”	Dharamdas, Kabir’s disciple
Chhattisgarh Mitra	Madhavrao Sapre, Pendra, 1900
Chhattisgarhi Dan-Lila	Sundarlal Sharma, 1905
Term “Chhayavad”	Mukutdhar Pandey, 1920
Magadh	Shrikant Verma, Sahitya Akademi 1987
Jnanpith	Vinod Kumar Shukla, 59th (for 2024), first from the state
State song	Arpa Pairi Ke Dhar, Narendra Dev Verma (adopted 2019)
Proverb / riddle / idiom	हाना / जनउला / मुहावरा

Start Learning

Ready to begin? Start with the first topic:

→ Chhattisgarhi Language and Grammar Basics