The Garhwali language (गढ़वळि भाख/भासा) is a Central Pahari language belonging to the Northern Zone of Indo-Aryan languages. It is primarily spoken by the Garhwali people (गढ़वळि मन्खि) who are from the north-western Garhwal Division (गढ़वाळ) of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas.
The Central Pahari languages include Garhwali and Kumauni (spoken in the Kumaun region of Uttrakhand). Garhwali, like Kumauni, has many regional dialects spoken in different places in Uttarakhand. The script used for Garhwali is Devanagari.
Garhwali is one of the 325 recognized languages of India spoken by over 2,267,314 people in Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Dehradun, Haridwar and Rudraprayag districts of Uttarakhand. Garhwali is also spoken by people in other parts of India including Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. According to various estimates, there are at least 25 lakh Garhwali migrants living in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
However, due to a number of reasons, Garhwali is one of the languages which is shrinking very rapidly. UNESCO’s Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger designates Garhwali as a language which is in the unsafe category and requires consistent conservation efforts.
Almost all people who can speak and understand Garhwali can also speak and understand Hindi, the official language of India.
Read more about Garhwali Language: Development of Garhwali, Garhwali Dialects, Sources and Vocabulary, Grammar, Garhwali Literature, Garhwali People, Garhwali in Media, Official Recognition
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