Pahari

Pahari is a term used for a group of languages and the communities spoken in the mountain regions of the Indian subcontinent, especially the western, central, and eastern Himalayas, including parts of India (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir), Nepal, and Pakistan. It is also used as an ethnolinguistic label for hill-dwelling communities known collectively as Paharis.

Linguistically, Pahari refers to a diverse collection of Indo-Aryan languages and dialects that form a continuum across the hillside regions. Some classifications describe Western Pahari (including Kumaoni, Garhwali, Kangri, and related varieties), Central Pahari, and Eastern Pahari, though the boundaries are not rigid and mutual intelligibility varies. In many areas, Pahari varieties are spoken alongside or under the influence of Nepali, Hindi, or Urdu, and in Nepal a broader term for hill languages is used.

Writing systems: Kumaoni and Garhwali are commonly written in Devanagari; some communities historically used Takri scripts; Dogri uses Devanagari or Perso-Arabic scripts.

The languages often have rich oral traditions, including folk songs and storytelling, and they play a central role in regional identity for many communities.

Status: Pahari languages face pressures from more dominant languages such as Hindi and Nepali; in some regions they have regional recognition and are used in local administration and education, while others lack formal official status. Ongoing efforts address standardization, literacy, and language preservation.