Sattriya dance

History glossary

Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

Sattriya dance is a classical dance form of Assam. It was created by the Vaishnava saint Shankaradeva (late 15th–16th centuries) as a way of worship, and it was first performed inside the satras (also spelled sattras), the monasteries he founded. In 2000 the Sangeet Natak Akademi (India's national academy for music, dance and drama) recognised it as a classical dance.

It matters because it is one of the few classical dances that grew straight out of a bhakti (devotional) movement, and it is still kept alive by a working religious institution. Questions often link it to Shankaradeva, the satras and Assam.

Explanation

Background: why a saint made a dance

  • From about the 14th century, many saint-poets taught a simpler, more personal kind of devotion. They used local languages and music instead of Sanskrit and temple ritual.
  • In Assam, the leading voice of Vaishnavism (devotion to Vishnu) was Shankaradeva.
  • His path is called Bhagavati dharma. It was built on the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata Purana.
  • Core teaching: absolute surrender to Vishnu.

  • Main practice: naam kirtan (singing God's names together) in sat sanga (gatherings of devotees).

  • Why dance and drama?

  • Most villagers could not read the holy texts.
  • Songs, plays and dance could carry the stories of Krishna and Vishnu to everyone.
  • So Shankaradeva used the stage as a teaching tool. Sattriya was born from this.

Main features

  • Part of a bigger performance. Sattriya began as the dance inside Shankaradeva's one-act devotional plays, called Ankiya Naat. When these plays are staged, the performance is called Bhaona.
  • Themes. It is mostly about Krishna, Rama and other forms of Vishnu, as told in the Bhagavata Purana.
  • Music.
  • It is danced to devotional songs called Borgeet.

  • The main instruments are the khol (a drum), taal (cymbals) and the flute.

  • Costume. Dancers wear clothes woven from pat silk, a local Assamese silk.

  • Who danced. For centuries it was danced only by bhokots, the male monks of the satras. They also played the female roles.
  • Two moods. The dance has a forceful, energetic style called paurashik (masculine) and a gentle, graceful style called stri (feminine).

How it changed over time

  • Inside the monastery. For about 500 years it stayed a temple and monastery ritual, guarded by the satras.
  • Onto the public stage. In the 20th century the dance moved out of the satras and onto the public stage. Women also began to perform it.
  • Recognition (2000). The Sangeet Natak Akademi named it a classical dance. It is the latest form to get that status.

Results

  • The institution saved the art. Shankaradeva founded satras (monasteries) and naam ghars (village prayer halls), and both still work today. The satras trained dancers from one generation to the next, so the dance survived.
  • Assam's identity. Today Sattriya is a symbol of Assamese culture, along with the Kirtana-ghosha, Shankaradeva's major religious work.

Time, place and evidence

  • Period: It began with Shankaradeva (late 15th century onwards). Classical status came in 2000.
  • Region: The Brahmaputra valley in Assam. The satras on Majuli island are well-known centres.
  • Key people:
  • Shankaradeva, the founder.
  • His disciple Madhavadeva, who added to the songs and the dramatic tradition.

  • The bhokots (monks) of the satras, who kept the dance going.

  • How we know:

  • Shankaradeva's own writings, the Ankiya Naat plays and the Kirtana-ghosha.
  • The Borgeet songs.
  • The living tradition: dancers have been trained inside the satras without a break.
  • The official recognition by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000.

Don't confuse with

  • Bihu: Assam's folk dance, linked to farming and the New Year festival. Sattriya is a classical, devotional dance that started in monasteries.
  • Manipuri dance: also a Vaishnava classical dance from the North-East, but it comes from Manipur, not Assam, and it is linked to the Ras Lila, not to the satras.
  • Naam ghar vs satra: a naam ghar is a village prayer hall. A satra is a monastery. Sattriya takes its name from the satra.
  • Shankaradeva vs Shankaracharya: Shankaradeva was the Assamese Vaishnava saint who founded the satras. Adi Shankaracharya was the much earlier teacher of Advaita Vedanta (the idea that God and the soul are one). Their names look alike, but they are different people.

Prelims Hooks

  • Sattriya dance belongs to Assam. It was founded by Shankaradeva.
  • Shankaradeva's path is called Bhagavati dharma. His institutions were the satras (monasteries) and naam ghars (prayer halls). His major text is the Kirtana-ghosha.
  • The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognised Sattriya as a classical dance in 2000.
  • It started as part of Ankiya Naat (one-act plays), staged as Bhaona. It is danced to Borgeet songs, with khol and taal.
  • For centuries it was danced only by male monks (bhokots).
  • Trap: Bihu is a folk dance of Assam, not a classical one. Manipuri is from Manipur, not Assam.

Mains Points

  • Bhakti created art forms, not just poems. Shankaradeva used drama, song and dance to teach surrender to Vishnu to ordinary Assamese people in their own language. Sattriya shows how the bhakti movement shaped India's performing arts, which makes it a good example for GS-I questions on heritage.
  • Institutions decide whether something survives. Mirabai's songs survived only through singing. Shankaradeva's satras and naam ghars gave his tradition a lasting home, and they trained dancers for about five centuries. This organisation is the main reason Sattriya is still alive.
  • Continuity and change. Sattriya moved from a monastery ritual danced only by men to a public classical art that women also perform, and it was officially recognised in 2000. This shows a living religious tradition turning into national cultural heritage while keeping its devotional roots.

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