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APABHRAMSA: LANGUAGE,
MANUSCRIPTS AND PAUMACARIU OF SVAYAMBHŪ
Apabhraṁśa language is one of the richest Indo-Aryan languages and it developed from Prakrit, one of the most ancient and sacred languages of India. Early Vedic literature is not averse to Prakrit expressions, which indicated its ancient character. Prakrit, the flowing language, gave rise to Apabhramsa in the course of time.
Like Prakṛt, Apabhramśa was the language of the masses. Apabhramśa literature, in all its varied forms, has made a considerable contribution to the cultural heritage of Indian tradition. Svayambhu, Puspadanta, Dhanapāla, Vīra, Nayanandi, Kanakāmara, Joindu, Rāmasimha, Hemacandra and Raidhu are some of the celebrated authors in this language.
In the sixth century A.D. Apabhraṁśa was the lingua franca of Northern India. From east to west and Kashmir (north) to Maharastra (south), it served the needs of common men as well as those of the literary world. Apabhraṁśa also contributed to the emergence of some other modern Indian languages like Sindhi, Punjabi, Marathi, Bangalā, Gujarātī, Maithili, Rajasthānī and Oriyā. Even Hindi owes its origin to Apabhraṁśa as most of the literary tendencies in Hindi literature flow from the Apabhramsa tradition and the relation between Hindi and Apabhramsa is very intimate. As a result,
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