Chhattisgarhi (
Devanagari: छत्तीसगढ़ी) is a language spoken in the
Indian state of
Chhattisgarh, by 17.5 million people. It is an
Eastern Hindi language with heavy vocabulary and linguistic features from
Munda and
Dravidian languages. Chhattisgarhi has been known by the name Khaltahi to surrounding hill-people and by the name Laria to speakers in neighboring regions of
Odisha to Chhattisgarh. The speakers are concentrated in the Indian
state of
Chhattisgarh and in adjacent areas of
Madhya Pradesh,
Odisha, and
Jharkhand. Chhattisgarhi cultural and political movements, with origins going back to the 1920s, affirmed Chhattisgarhi linguistic and
cultural identity and sought greater
autonomy within India. This came about in 2000 when 16 districts of the state of Madhya Pradesh became the new state of
Chhattisgarh.