Satriya Dance of Assam

28^th Apr 2011

The Sattriya dance of Assam is a classical dance form of dance. It is one among eight  principal classical Indian dance traditions. The great Vaishnava saint and reformer of Assam, Mahapurusha Sankaradeva as a powerful medium for propagation of the Vaishnava faith, introduced the Sattriya dance form in the 15th century A.D.  Sankardeva created Sattriya Nritya as an accompaniment to the Ankiya Naat (a form of Assamese one-act plays devised by him). The word Sattriya has been derived from the word ‘Satra’, because till then the dance recitals were exclusively practiced within the compounds of a Satra. Satras are the religious Institutes set up by the Vishnava Saint Shrimanta Shankardev, for the preservation and propagation of tradition, culture and religion. The sattras continue to use the dance form for ritualistic and other purposes for which it was originally created circa 500 years ago. Traditionally, Sattriya was performed only by bhokots (male monks) in monasteries as a part of their daily rituals or to mark special festivals.

In the second half of the 19th century, Sattriya Nritya emerged from the sanctum of Assam's sattras. It moved from the monastery to the metropolitan stage. The sattras had maintained certain rigid disciplines and austerities within their walls, and until the first half of the 19th century, this dance style was performed in a highly ritualistic manner by male dancers alone. The classical rigidity, the strict adherence to certain principles, and the non-engagement of academic research on the dance form contributed to the delayed recognition and acceptance of Sattriya Nritya as one of the eight classical dance forms of India. On 15 November 2000, the “Sangeet Natak Akademi” finally accorded Sattriya dance with the status of a Classical form of India, alongside the other seven forms. Like the other seven schools of classical Indian dance, Sattriya Nritya encompasses the principles required of a classical dance form: the

treatises of dance and dramaturgy, like Natyashastra, Abhinaya Darpana, and Sangit Ratnakara; a distinct repertoire (marg) and the aspects of nritta (pure dance), nritya (expressive dance), and natya (abhinaya). The core of Sattriya Nritya has usually been mythological stories. This was an artistic way of presenting mythological teachings to the people in an accessible, immediate, and enjoyable manner.

Like the other classical dance forms in India, the Sattriya dance has also its own distinctive characteristics. The first position of Sattriya is called 'ORA'. It can be classified into two styles namely Paurashik Bhangi i.e. Tandav or masculine style & Shtri bhangi i.e. Lasya or feminine style. Sattriya dance tradition is governed by strictly laid down principles in respect of hastamudras, footworks, aharyas, music etc. This tradition, has two distinctly separate streams - the Bhaona-related repertoire starting from the Gayan-Bayanar Nach to the Kharmanar Nach, secondly the dance numbers which are independent, such as Chali, Rajagharia Chali, Jhumura, Nadu Bhangi etc. Sattriya Nritya is divided into many genres: Apsara Nritya, Behar Nritya, Chali Nritya, Dasavatara Nritya, Manchok Nritya, Natua Nritya, Rasa Nritya, Rajaghariya Chali Nritya, Gosai Prabesh, Bar Prabesh, Gopi Prabesh, Jhumura, Nadu Bhangi, and Sutradhara etc. Among them, the Chali is characterized by gracefulness and elegance, while the Jhumura is marked by vigor and majestic beauty.

The Sattriya dance requires a good physical exercise, the flexibility of the body and an intense practice. In Sattriya the Griba Karma (the movement of neck), Dristy (eye movement), Pada Chalana (foot movement), Bhramari or Paak (the circular movement of the body) etc., are note worthy. There are six types of Angya (Limb), six types of Pratangya, six types of Upanga (Lower limb), nine different types of Gati (gait or movement), eight types of Dristy (eye movement), sixty-four types of Karana (Matiakhora or Exercises), nine types of Shirakarma (Head movement), four types Gribakarma are found in Sattriya dance.

The musical instruments that accompany a performance are the khols or the drums, the taals or the cymbals, the flute. The dresses are usually made of pat, a type of silk produced in Assam, woven with intricate local motifs. The ornaments, too, are based on traditional Assamese designs.