ith a history of roughly 3,500 years, Sanskrit is an Indo-European language (distantly related to English, Russian, and Latin, among others) that has dominated religious and philosophical practices in South and East Asia, and was considered to be the lingua franca of both ancient and medieval India. Today, Sanskrit remains important as the sacred language of Hinduism, as well as some Buddhist and Jain traditions. Hinduism's worldwide following of nearly one billion people recite texts in Sanskrit at weddings, funerals, and annual festivals. New York's sizeable Hindu communities — South Asians at the Flushing temple, Indo-Caribbeans at a range of temples in Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and elsewhere — make frequent use of Sanskrit materials and knowledge.