Sattriya Style of Dance Nartan Kala Niketan
- P r a d y u t  K a k o t y

There is not an inkling of doubt that Assam has a long and glorious tradition of culture encompassing music and dance. She has been described by many as a paradise for anthropologists, a land of music and dance.

The Sattriya dances of Assam evolved in the early part of the 16th century, when the great Vaishnaba saint, reformer, artist, poet, dramatist and musician Srimanta Sankardeva (1449 – 1568 AD) composed his dance dramas and songs. The elements, which contributed to the evolution of Sattriya style of dance, are difficult to pinpoint. However, Sankardeva himself refers to his farther Kusumbar Bhuyan as an incarnation of Gandharva.

Like Kuchipudi–agrahara of Andhra Pradesh and else where, in Sattriya dance also no ladies are allowed to participate. Even in village- performances male actors invariably act female roles. It is heartening to note that now a-days, realizing the importance of Sattriya dance; modern artists have taken up the style of dance seriously. It would be worthwhile to mention that Late. Dr. Moheswar Neog, one of the outstanding scholars of Assam, through his single handed effort, succeeded in making the sattriya style of dances of Assam recognized by the Sangeet Natak Academy for national awards.

In sattriya dances there are various gestures or mudras or hastas with the hands and fingers, which are in the style of the classical dance that belongs to various parts of India.

The instruments used in this type of dance are –- Khol (or Mridanga in a few sattras) and cymbals (patital, bhortal). No less than artist and authority than Udaysankar has described Sattriya style of dances as ‘the fifth school’ of classical Indian dance.

The Sattriya dances still possess a number of choreographic pattern, distinctive costumes and a variety of masks. This school has some features in common with the Manipuri style of dance but it is clear that it is independent of the influence from the Manipuri dance in view of the fact that this style had evolved and been established much earlier.

The Sattriya dances as found in Sattras like Kamalabari Sattra of Majuli may be classified and grouped as follows: -

In dramatic performances there are three principal forms of dances of Sattriya form. These are – the dance of Sutradhara, the dance Krishna or Rama and the dance of gopis of Brindavana or some other female characters. These are prepared with a very particular attention before a performance. Sometimes they are called Bhangi. They exhibit a number of movements of the head, hands and other limbs, particularly in the performance of sutradhara. In the Kamalabari Sattra these dance forms have strings of peculiar sloka or bol (as called by sattra musicians), which are pronounced by mouth and then played an instrument and danced out.

In brief, Sattriya dances usually exhibit the following forms of dances amongst other – Sutradhari dance, Gonsai probesar dance, Rasar dance, Juddhar dance, Jumuras, Nadu-bhangi, Chali dance, Rajagharia dance, Behar dance, Vara-parabesha dance etc.

Some forms of Sattriya dance have evolved in recent time in Sattras like Auniati. There is an ‘apsara – bhangi’ representing the dance of heavenly nymphs before Indra. A dance called ‘patcha-chelam’ (badshah – salamat), which is performed by ‘Natuwa’ boys meant to receive Royal patronage in their visit to the Sattra. Some modes of ‘natuwa’ dance are known as ‘hajowaliya’ i.e. pertaining to Hajo. Besides these forms of dances, there are some other forms of Sattriya style of dance.

Although gestures of hands, feet and other minor limbs are found in use many of them seen already to have been lost. However in the Kamalabari sattra, the training is still very elaborate and is known as ‘maati akhara’ – means rehearsal on the ground. Late Maniram Dutta Muktiyar Bayan, the Chief Director of dances of Kamalabari Satra, as a matter of fact, enumerated as many as 39 of such movements. To mention a few are – Chata (movement to a pose), Pak (wheeling on the feet), Ian (the moving of the head to the side or back till it touches the ground), Jalak(the very swift lashing of the hands with corresponding movement of other limbs), muruka, tamal mochara(wriggling the body like a string into a knot) khar (somersault) etc.

It is to be noted that Subhankara Kavi’s Hastamuktavali, the most elaborate treatise on head gestures was found with a lucid Assamese gloss in the Auniati Sattra and it is said that Suchanda Rai Oja, the owner of the manuscript lived in Kamalabari sattra. Ergo, it is most likely that this work was actually used by the bayans (dance gurus) in training the ‘natuwa’ boys in the Sattras of Assam. It is to be mentioned that the trainee boys are given the lesson that their eyes should always follow the gestures of the hands in order to bring out the desired effect.

There is a class of ‘vyah – gowa’ ojapali in the Sattras. This form of Sattriya dance is much similar to the non-sattra ‘vyah-gowa’ ojapali. There is an ‘oja’ and any number upto 25 of ‘palis’ form this Sattra chorus. As the ‘oja’ sings on he exhibits different ‘abhinaya hastas’. However, the names of the ‘hastas’ as in different natya works are lost amongst them.

Last but not the least, it is encouraging to note that some people have made sincere efforts for preservation and popularization of Sattriya style of dances. It is high time that immediate and vigorous investigations and enquiries are made to reclaim the most ancient and the most genuine form of the art, as now a days it has become gradually more and more difficult to distinguish between the real and the spurious style of Sattriya dance, so that this style of the fabulous dance dose not lose its beauty and artistic quality. q