In which century, Urdu became more popular?

Urdu became a literary language in the 18^th century and two similar standard forms came into existence in Delhi and Lucknow; since the partition of India in 1947, a third standard has arisen in the Pakistani city of Karachi. Deccani, an older form used in southern India, became a court language of the Deccan sultanates in the 16^th century.