Angika (also known as ''Anga'', ''Angikar'' or ''Chhika-Chhiki'') is an

Eastern Indo-Aryan language The Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, also known as Māgadhan languages, are spoken throughout the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, which includes Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bengal region, Tripura, Assam, and Odisha; alongside other ...

spoken in some parts of the Indian states of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

and

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

, as well as in parts of Nepal. Angika is closely related to neighbouring Indic languages such as Maithili,

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri may refer to: * Bhojpuri language, an Indo-Aryan language of India and Nepal * Bhojpuri grammar, grammatical rules of the language * Bhojpuri nouns, nouns of the language * Bhojpuri people, people who speak the language * Bhojpuri region ...

and

Magahi Magahi (), also known as Magadhi (), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India, and in the Terai region of Nepal. Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name de ...

. Historically it was written in a separate script known as '

Anga Lipi Anga Lipi (𑂃𑂁𑂏) was a historical writing system. The Anga Lipi finds its mention in the Buddhist text "Lalitvistar" which says Anga lipi was among the 64 scripts known to Lord Budhha. Etymology and history The Anga Script is mentioned ...

'. Later writers shifted to

Kaithi Script Kaithi (), also called Kayathi (), Kayasthi (), or Kayastani, is a Brahmic script historically used across parts of Northern and Eastern India. It was prevalent in regions corresponding to modern-day Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand. The s ...

and eventually to

Devanagari Script Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ancient '' Brāhmī'' script. It is one of the official scripts of India an ...

. Angika has been declared as an additional official language of Jharkhand.

Relationship to Maithili

Angika was classified as a dialect of Maithili by

George Abraham Grierson Sir George Abraham Grierson (7 January 1851 – 9 March 1941) was an Irish administrator and linguist in British India. He worked in the Indian Civil Service but an interest in philology and linguistics led him to pursue studies in the languag ...

in the ''

Linguistic Survey of India The Linguistic Survey of India (LSI) is a comprehensive survey of the languages of British India, describing 364 languages and dialects. The Survey was first proposed by George Abraham Grierson, a member of the Indian Civil Service and a lingu ...

'' (1903). However, the Angika speakers now assert its status as an independent language. When the proponents of the Maithili language in Bihar demanded use of Maithili-

medium Medium may refer to: Aircraft *Medium bomber, a class of warplane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film * ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...

primary education in the early 20th century, the people of the Angika-speaking region did not support them, and instead favoured

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-medium education. In the 1960s and the 1970s, when the Maithili speakers demanded a separate

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepa ...

state, the Angika and

Bajjika Bajjika is an Indo-Aryan language variety spoken in parts of Bihar, India and in Nepal. It is also classified as a dialect of Maithili language and is known as Western Maithili. Territory and speakers Bajjika language is spoken in the north-w ...

speakers made counter-demands for recognition of their languages. Maithili proponents believe that the

Government of Bihar Bihar Government is the State governments of India, state government of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Bihar and its nine Divisions of Bihar, divisions which consist of Districts of Bihar, districts. It consists of an execut ...

and the pro-Hindi Bihar Rashtrabhasha Parishad promoted Angika and

as distinct languages to weaken the Maithili language movement; many of them still consider Angika to be a dialect of Maithili. People from mainly

Maithil Brahmin Maithil Brahmins are the Indo-Aryan Hindu Brahmin community originating from the Mithila region and original inhabitants of Southern Nepal and bordering regions of India that comprises Madhesh Province & some areas of Koshi Province in Nepal ...

s and

Karan Kayastha Karan Kayastha is a community of Kayasthas that inhabit Orissa and the Mithila region, a region now divided between India and Nepal. Origin According to '' Manu'', a Hindu scripture, the Karans are regarded as bratya (degraded) Kshatriyas. ...

s castes have supported the Maithili movement, while people from various other castes in the Mithila region have projected Angika and Bajjika as their mother tongues, attempting to break away from the Maithili-based regional identity.

Official status

Angika is not listed in the 8th schedule of the constitution of India. Angika has the status of "Second State language" in the Indian state of

since 2018. It shares this status with 15 other languages, including Maithili.

Literature

Naresh Pandey Chakor had written the first ever novel in Angika titled ''Kisan Ke Jagab''.

Anga region

Angika is mainly spoken in south-eastern

, including most of

Munger Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. Munger was one of the major cities in Eastern ...

, the whole of Bhagalpur division and some south eastern parts of

Purnia division Purnia division (also known as: Seemanchal) is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India. Purnia is the administrative headquarters of the division. The division consists of Purnia district, Katihar district, Araria distric ...

along with the

Santhal Pargana division Santhal Pargana division constitutes six district administration units known as the divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Origin of name Santal Pargana derives its name from two words: " Santal", a major inhabited tribe in the region an ...

. Its speakers number around 15 million people. The region where Angika is spoken is popularly known as Anga, Ang Pradesh and Angika-Belt. Apart from Bihar and Jharkhand states of India, it is also spoken in the Morang district of Nepalese Terai as a minority language. 1.9% people of Morang returned Angika as their mother tongue during the

2011 Nepal census Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2011 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working in cooperation with the 58 municipalities and the 3,915 Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the m ...

Angika culture

Festival

Festivals are the core part cultural part of the community. Anga celebrates the festivals of all daith with great enthusiasm and zeal. However,

Manasa Manasa () is a Hindu goddess of snakes. She is worshipped mainly in Bihar, Odisha, Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam and other parts of northeastern India and in Uttarakhand, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite, and also for fertility and ...

Puja (Based on Behula Vishahari folklore) and

Kali Puja Kali Puja (ISO: ), also known as Shyama Puja or Mahanisha Puja, is a festival originating from the Indian subcontinent, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is celebrated on the new moon day (Dipannita Amavasya) of the Hindu calendar month o ...

are two examples of intangible cultural heritage of the region. Apart from these, Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Chhath Puja, Biswakarma Puja, Basanti Puja, Holi, Guru Poornima, Eid and Karma-Dharma puja too hold a great significance for the region. * Manasa Puja (Bihula-Vishari Puja) Manasa Puja is the folk festival In Bihar's Ang region. It is the biggest festival of Anga.

Champapuri Champapuri, Champa Nagri or Champanagar is a neighbourhood in Bhagalpur in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the site of the ancient city of Champa, the capital of the Anga Mahajanapada. It is also the main centre of capital of cultural re ...

the capital of Ang Pradesh is the main temple of Maa Vishari. Maa Manasa is regarded as Goddess of Serpants. Even today, the tradition of Manasa (Bihula-Vishhari) Puja, which has been going on since mythological times, continues. Mata Mansa is worshiped in Bihula-Vishhari. Maa Mansa is said to be the daughter of Shiva and the sister of Vasuki sitting as a garland around Mahadev's neck. Mythological beliefs of Bihula Vishhari story of Champanagar of Ang Pradesh are spread everywhere. Its facts are also found in the remains of Vikramshila even two historical

murti In the Hinduism, Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a Hindu deities, deity or Hindu saints, saint used during ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'' and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing d ...

s of Maa Manasa have been found from the ruins. * Kali Puja Anga is famous for the way of its Kali Puja Celebration which is one of the most celebrated festivals of the whole region. Together with Manasa Puja, it is ''intangible cultural heritage festival of Anga''. * Chhath Puja As per Legends,

Chhath Puja Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival, native to eastern India and southern Nepal. It is celebrated especially in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh; and Koshi, Gandaki, Bagmati, Lumbini and Madhesh provinces o ...

stems from the early

Vedic period The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, between the e ...

, where sages would fast for days and perform the puja with mantras from

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

. It is believed that Chhath Puja was also performed by

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess Kunti (later ...

, the son of Lord Surya and the King of

Anga Anga was an ancient Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age in India, Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas. Counted among the "sixteen great na ...

. It is therefore celebrated in every region of

with full enthusiasm and is termed as Mahaparv for

Biharis Bihari () is a demonym given to the inhabitants of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari people can be separated into three main Indo-Aryan ( Bihari-speaking) ethnolinguistic groups: Bhojpuris, Maithils and Magahis. They are also further divid ...

.It is very popular festival in the Anga region * Karma-Dharma puja Karma-dharma (Karma) Puja is an important Indian festival, primarily celebrated in the states of

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, and some other regions. This festival is grandly observed every year on the

Ekadashi Ekadashi () is the eleventh lunar day (''tithi'') of the waxing (''Shukla Paksha, Shukla Pakṣa)'' and waning (''Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa)'' lunar cycles in a Hindu calendar, Vedic calendar month. Ekadashi is popularly observed within Vaishnavism one ...

of the

Shukla Paksha Paksha () refers to a fortnight or a lunar phase in a month of the Hindu lunar calendar. Literally meaning "side", a paksha is the period either side of the '' purnima'' ( full moon day). A lunar month in the Hindu calendar has two fortnights, ...

in the month of Bhadra. Karma Puja holds special significance in strengthening the bond of love and affection between brothers and sisters. On this day, people perform special prayers and rituals to strengthen family relationships. Karma and Dharma are the principal deities of this festival, and on this day, people express their devotion and faith towards them.

Angika cuisine

Angika cuisine Bihari cuisine is eaten mainly in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, as well as in the places where people originating from the state of Bihar have settled: Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius, South Africa, Fiji, some cities of P ...

is predominantly consumed in the Anga region, and is characterised by the use of mustard oil, fish, and bamboo shoots. The famous Bihari Fish Curry, Sarse Baingan (a mustard preparation of eggplant), are beloved Angika delicacies. Other Angika cuisines are Ghugni-Mudi,

Thekua Thekua (also spelt as ''Thokwa'' or ''Thekariis'')'','' also known as Khajuria, Tikari and Thokni, is an ''Indo-Nepalese sweet dish'' popular in Southern Nepal and the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Thekua is a reve ...

Manjusha Art

Manjusha Art is an Indian art form. They are temple-shaped boxes comprising eight pillars. They are made of bamboo, jute, and paper. They also contain paintings of

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

gods and goddesses and other characters. These boxes are used in Bishahari puja, a festival dedicated to Goddess Bishari that is celebrated in

Bhagalpur Bhagalpur, historically known as Champapuri, Champa Nagari, is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern bank of the Ganges river. It is the Bihar#Government and administration, third largest city of Bihar by population and ...

and entire Anga Region of Bihar, India. Manjusha Painting of Map of Bihar

Music and drama

Music and drama plays a crucial role in Ang Culture, although it is not so famous but is a daily part of lifestyle in Anga Region. There is also a Music Industry and film industry Angika Music Industry and Angika Film Industry which provides regional music and films based on good story-lines.

Sharda Sinha Sharda Sinha (1 October 1952 – 5 November 2024) was an Indian folk and classical singer. Hailing from Bihar, she predominantly sang in Maithili and Bhojpuri language and is called ''Bihar Kokila'', the cuckoo of Bihar. Sinha has sung many f ...

, a famous folk singer of Bihar has covered more than 1500 songs in all Bihari languages including Angika. During The 2023 Shravani Mela visit in

Sultanganj Sultanganj, also known as Ajgaibinath Dham, is a town of religious significance located in the Bhagalpur district of the India state of Bihar. It is situated on the south bank of Ganga river, 25 km west of Bhagalpur city at . Demographi ...

. Ang Mahotsav, a cultural festival of Music and Drama is held every year in The Anga Region and is a good platform to promote Angika.

Angika literature

Anil Chandra Thakur, a renowned Angika poet from the

Kosi KOSI (101.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Denver, Colorado. KOSI is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International and airs an adult contemporary music format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. ...

region of

, gained prominence in the 1990s, celebrated for his acclaimed work,
Kach
'. Kinship Terms Angika has a rich set of kinship terms. Here are some common ones:

References

Bibliography

* * pp
1395
* * * * * {{coord missing, India Regions of Bihar Bihar Historical Indian regions Cultural regions Anga Linguistic history Regions of India Regions of Jharkhand Languages written in Devanagari Languages of India Languages of Nepal Eastern Indo-Aryan languages Bihari languages Languages of Bihar Languages of Jharkhand