The term Apabhramsha refers to the dialects of North India before the rise of modern North Indian languages. The term apabhramsha implies a corrupt or non-standard language.

The term Prakrit (which includes Pali) is used for the popular dialects of India which were spoken until 4-8th century. They gradually transformed into Apabhramshas which were used until about 13th century. Apabramshas evolved into modern languages like Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali etc.

A significant amount of Apabhramsha literature has been found in Jain libraries. While Amir Khusro and Kabir were writing in a language quite similar to modern Hindi, many poets, specially in regions that were still ruled by Hindu kings, continued to write in Apabhramsha.

The Apabhramsha authors include Sarahapad of Kamarupa, Devasena of Dhar (9th c. CE), Pushpadanta of Manyakhet (9th c. CE), Dhanapal, Muni Ramsimha, Hemachandra of Patan, Raighu of Gwalior (15th CE). An early example of the use of Apabhramsha is in Vikramorvashiyam of Kalidasa, when Pururava asks the animals in the forest about his beloved who had disappeared.