Halbi Language

Halbi is the lingua franca of Bastar District in Madhya Pradesh, India, and the mother tongue of approximately 600,000 people.  It has been classified as Indo-Aryan, closely related to Oriya, Hindi, and Marathi, but has features from Dravidian and Munda which may indicate it more properly to be a creole with Indo-Aryan influence being the strongest.

Halbi is the mother tongue of a number of tribal groupings and castes that include Raj Mureas, Halbas, Mahras, Lohras, some Bhatras, Parjas, and others. Halbi is also the language of the market place in Bastar District and, as such, is used by most of the other tribal groups of the area.

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Bastar District

Bastar District is a district of Chhattisgarh where Halbi speakers predominate.

Read more: Bastar District