Overview of Hindi Literature: Past to Present

Introduction to Hindi Literature

The Indo-Aryan language of Hindi is widespread throughout northern India with over half a billion speakers and used by more people worldwide than any other Indian language. As a cultural force within India's literary world, its history stretches back thousands of years across numerous empires and dynasties. Its rise has been closely linked to two major forces—a shift from Sanskrit to local vernacular languages after the Islamic conquest in the thirteenth century, and British colonialism’s promotion of regional literatures for administrative purposes in the early modern period.

Early Hindi Texts

Some of the earliest texts in the region were known as Vanshavali which recorded oral epics dating back to the seventh century A.D., written down between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Another form of literature was Ragamala, a style of poetry often illustrated with paintings that developed around eight hundred BCE.

Medieval Period

In the medieval period, writers like Jadunath Sarkar believed Brajbhasha literature had become primarily a medium for writing religious works; this genre flourished under the influence of Jagannath Pandit, as well as others such as Surdas and Kabirdas. Alongside these devotional themes came romantic poetry where one poetic trope became erotic love poems, a tradition beginning with Kesav Das. By the seventeenth century, there were also imitations of Persian verse forms called ghazals. These were published alongside translations into Hindustani of European novels, giving birth to hybrid genres that would later shape twentieth-century Hindi fiction.

Modern Hindi Literature

From the late nineteenth century, Hindi literature entered a new chapter due partly to the efforts of Tulsidas who authored the epic Ramayana, bringing it closer home to ordinary readers through his vivid depiction of characters and everyday life. He is widely considered one of Hindi's greatest poets. In addition, he introduced a new metrical pattern based on Sanskrit metrics. Other contributors have included Dinkar, Bhartendu Harishchandra, Chandrabhushan Prasad Shirurkar, Radha Krishna Devulkar, Jaishankar Prasad, Sumitranandan Pant, Raghuvir Sahay, and many others. Writers like Mahadevi Varma helped launch the feminist revolution in Hindi and established new standards for women in literature.

Today, Hindi literature continues to evolve with various regional dialects becoming recognized as separate entities worthy of their own distinct literature. It encompasses narrative prose, drama, travelogues, and autobiographies amongst other styles. With its origins spanning millennia and incorporating diverse influences, Hindi literature remains a living repository of India's culture and heritage.