# Bilaspuri

Bilaspuri (Himachali Takri: 𑚠𑚮𑚥𑚭𑚨𑚞𑚱𑚤𑚯), or Kahluri (Takri:𑚊𑚩𑚥𑚱𑚤𑚯) is a dialect of Himachali language spoken in northern India, predominantly in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is associated with the people of the former princely state of Bilaspur in the Hills State.
Bilaspuri is classified as one of the varieties of the Himachali language group. However, Bilaspuri is listed as Punjabi in the census. According to the 2011 Census, the speakers of Bilaspuri/Kahluri are 295,805.
The dialect of the hilly part of Hoshiarpur district is also known as Pahāṛī (Takri: 𑚞𑚩𑚭𑚪𑚯).

## Dialects

Following are the five dialects of Bilaspuri:
* North-east Bilaspuri (north-east of Kumar Hati); resemblance with Mandeali.
* North Bilaspuri (north of Kumar Hati); resemblance with Mandeali.
* West Bilaspuri: has the maximum Punjabi words of all Kahluri dialects.
* Central Bilaspuri: Bilaspur (historic) town and surrounding area; shares resemblance to Punjabi.
* Davin or Daur: east and south-east of Bilaspur (historic) town.
The dialects of Kahluri are so closely allied that one might call them one dialect Kahluri or Bilaspuri.

## Writing system

The native script of the language is Takri script.

## Proverbs

| 𑚊𑚩𑚥𑚱𑚤𑚯 (𑚠𑚮𑚥𑚭𑚨𑚞𑚱𑚤𑚯) | कहलूरी (बिलासपूरी) | Transliteration (Roman ITRANS) | Equivalent Idiom in English |
| 𑚏𑚥𑚯 𑚝𑚯𑚫 𑚈𑚆 𑚀𑚞𑚱𑚫 𑚙𑚲 𑚟𑚮𑚔𑚲𑚢𑚱𑚫𑚩 𑚌𑚴𑚖𑚲𑚣𑚭𑚫𑚤𑚲 | चली नीं ओए अप्पूं ते फिट्टेमूंह गोड्डेयांरे | chalI nIM oe appUM te phiTTemUMha goDDeyAMre | A bad workman quarrels with his own tools. |
| 𑚑𑚠𑚤𑚲 𑚤𑚭 𑚞𑚙𑚶𑚚𑚤 𑚊𑚶𑚦𑚭𑚥𑚮𑚣𑚭 | जबरे रा पत्थर क्वालिया | jabare rA patthara kvAliyA | Might is right. |
| 𑚀𑚞𑚘𑚯𑚣𑚲𑚫 𑚟𑚱𑚔𑚯𑚣𑚲𑚫 𑚝𑚲𑚩𑚤𑚭 | अपणीयें फूटीयें नेहरा | apaNIyeM phUTIyeM neharA | Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. |
| 𑚀𑚞𑚘𑚭 𑚨𑚳 𑚀𑚞𑚘𑚭, 𑚞𑚤𑚭𑚣𑚭 𑚨𑚳 𑚞𑚤𑚭𑚣𑚭 | अपणा से अपणा, पराया से पराया | apaNA se apaNA, parAyA se parAyA | Blood is thicker than water. |
| 𑚜𑚲𑚥𑚭 𑚁𑚃 𑚑𑚭𑚫𑚛𑚭 𑚞𑚤 𑚠𑚲𑚥𑚭 𑚝𑚃𑚫 𑚉𑚫𑚛𑚭 | धेला आई जांदा पर बेला नईं औंदा | dhelA AI jAMdA para belA naIM auMdA | Time once lost cannot be got back |
| 𑚜𑚭𑚝𑚭𑚤𑚲 𑚸𑚲𑚙 𑚞𑚤𑚭𑚥𑚭 𑚙𑚲 𑚝𑚑𑚤𑚯 𑚁𑚃 𑚑𑚭𑚫𑚛𑚲/ 𑚑𑚮𑚝𑚲𑚫 𑚤𑚵𑚫𑚛𑚲𑚣𑚭𑚫 𑚑𑚭𑚘𑚭 𑚙𑚮𑚝𑚲 𑚢𑚤𑚱𑚤𑚲𑚣𑚭𑚫 𑚤𑚯 𑚃 𑚸𑚠𑚤 𑚥𑚶𑚣𑚭𑚅𑚘𑚯 | धानारे खेत पराला ते नजरी आई जांदे/ जिनें रौंदेयां जाणा तिने मरूरेयां री ई खबर ल्याऊणी | dhAnAre kheta parAlA te najarI AI jAMde/ jineM rauMdeyAM jANA tine marUreyAM rI I khabara lyAUNI | Coming events cast their shadows beforehand. |
| 𑚩𑚲𑚥 𑚠𑚲𑚠𑚲 𑚩𑚲𑚥 𑚢𑚲𑚤𑚭 𑚀𑚫𑚌𑚘 𑚙𑚲𑚤𑚯 𑚛𑚲𑚩𑚥𑚷 | हेल बेबे हेल मेरा अंगण तेरी देहळ | hela bebe hela merA aMgaNa terI dehaLa | To waste time by loitering. |
| 𑚠𑚩𑚰𑚆 𑚏𑚑𑚶𑚑𑚲-𑚏𑚭𑚤𑚲𑚫 𑚝𑚯𑚫 𑚈𑚫𑚌𑚯 𑚙𑚭𑚫 𑚌𑚥𑚶𑚥𑚲𑚫 𑚛𑚲𑚸𑚲𑚣𑚭𑚫 𑚁𑚤𑚛𑚯 | बहुए चज्जे-चारें नीं ओंगी तां गल्लें देखेयां आरदी | bahue chajje-chAreM nIM oMgI tAM galleM dekheyAM AradI | If not competent in deeds, why not boast in words? |
| 𑚜𑚯𑚆 𑚜𑚢𑚭𑚊𑚪𑚭 𑚊𑚝𑚶𑚝 𑚊𑚤 𑚠𑚩𑚰𑚆 | धीए धमाकड़ा कन्न कर बहुए | dhIe dhamAka.DA kanna kara bahue | To speak to someone but to mean it for some other. |
| 𑚑𑚮𑚨𑚤𑚲 𑚀𑚙𑚶𑚚𑚲 𑚥𑚴𑚃 𑚙𑚮𑚨𑚤𑚭 𑚨𑚠 𑚊𑚴𑚃 | जिसरे अत्थे लोई तिसरा सब कोई | jisare atthe loI tisarA saba koI | One who can reward can win hearts |
| 𑚸𑚶𑚦𑚭𑚑𑚲𑚤𑚭 𑚌𑚶𑚦𑚭' 𑚢𑚮𑚖𑚊 | ख्वाजेरा ग्वाऽ मिडक | khvAjerA gvA.a miDaka | Birds of same feather flock together |
| 𑚠𑚲𑚛𑚲 𑚁𑚃 𑚑𑚫𑚌 𑚙𑚭𑚫 𑚠𑚮𑚝 𑚊𑚰𑚪𑚮𑚣𑚲 𑚤𑚲 𑚊𑚝𑚶𑚝 | बेदे आई जंग तां बिन कुड़िये रे कन्न | बेदे आई जंग तां बिन कुड़िये रे कन्न | |

## Status

The language is commonly called Pahari or Himachali. Before independence there were certain institutions which enjoyed states patronage to publish in Kahluri. All of these institutions today lie in ruins since independence to favour Hindi. With no institute that imparts teaching for this language, the language/dialect is endangered due to dominance of other recognised languages like Standard Punjabi or Hindi.
The demand for the inclusion of 'Pahari (Himachali)' under the Eight Schedule of the Constitution, which is supposed to represent multiple Pahari languages of Himachal Pradesh, had been made in the year 2010 by the state's Vidhan Sabha. There has been no positive progress on this matter since then even when small organisations are striving to save the language. Due to political interest, the language is currently recorded as a dialect of Punjabi, which was done on the basis of the conclusion made by G.A. Grierson who said Kahluri to be a 'rude' version of Punjabi. Since then linguists have changed this conclusion and have established it to be much more closer to others dialects of Western Pahari.