World Sanskrit Diwas 2022

• World Sanskrit Day is celebrated on SawanPoornima in the Hindu calendar. As per the calendar, August 12 marks the occasion. World Sanskrit Day honours the Sanskrit language and promotes its global acceptance. 

History

• Sanskrit language is said to have originated in India around 3,500 years ago. World Sanskrit Day or Sanskrit Diwas was first observed in 1969. The day aims to spread awareness about and promote the revival of Sanskrit. It acknowledges the place Sanskrit holds in Indian history and culture.
• Sanskrit, in literary terms. is divided into two different periods- the Vedic and Classical. Vedic Sanskrit is mainly a part of the Rig Veda, the Upanishads and the Puranas. The Vedas were composed from 1,000 to 500 BCE.
• Centuries later, some Europeans were impressed by Sanskrit. Among them was Sir William Jones, an English scholar who visited India in 1783 as a judge of the British Supreme Court in Calcutta. He later founded the Asiatic Society.

Significance

• The language still holds a very prominent position in Hindu religious rituals and practices. Most of the Hindu rituals are performed in Sanskrit only. Many Sanskrit institutions and universities have been opened and consequently many young students have been learning Sanskrit.