SATTRIYA
The name 'Sattriya' has been derived from the word 'Sattra' which are religious Institutes set up by the Vishnava Saint Shrimanta Shankardev, for the preservation and propagation of tradition, culture and religion. It was coined centuries after, and represents all that the Saint had created, which brought about a Socio-cultural Renaissance in the Assam Valley.
Sattriya, or Sattriya Nritya, is one among eight principal classical Indian dance traditions. Whereas some of the other traditions have been revived in the recent past, Sattriya has remained a living tradition since its creation by the Assamese Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva, in 15th century Assam.
Sankardeva created Sattriya Nritya as an accompaniment to the Ankiya
Naat (a form of Assamese one-act plays devised by him), which
were usually performed in the sattras, as Assam's monasteries are called.
As the tradition developed and grew within the sattras, the dance form
came to be called Sattriya Nritya.
Today, although Sattriya Nritya has emerged from within the confines of
the sattras to a much wider recognition, the sattras continue to
use the dance form for ritualistic and other purposes for which it was
originally created circa 500 years ago.
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 nrtta (pure dance), nrtya (expressive dance), and natya (abhinaya).
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