As a descendant of Sanskrit, the Hindi language has a rich literary tradition. There are four categories of Hindi literature. They are:
- Bhakti, meaning devotional literature
- Shringar, standing for beauty
- Veer-Gatha, in which the poet praises brave warriors
- Adhunik, or modernity
The modern state of India recognized its Hindi literary traditions when it established the Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Vishwavidyalaya, a university in Wardha, Maharashtra, in order to promote Hindi literature.
The beginnings of Hindi literature date back to the fifteenth century CE. One of the first examples of Hindi literature was the Prithviraj Raso, a eulogy written by Chand Bardai to memorialize Prithviraj Chauhan, the ruler of Delhi.
