Classical & Folk Dances of Assam
Assam has one of the richest dance traditions in India, and it is unique because it possesses both a recognised classical form and an extraordinary variety of living folk dances. Questions on Assamese dance are regularly asked in the art and culture section of ADRE, APSC, Assam Police, DHS, SSC and Railway examinations. Candidates are expected to know that Sattriya is the classical dance of Assam, to identify which community or festival a particular folk dance belongs to, and to remember the gurus, instruments and occasions associated with each form. Because the folk dances of Assam are tied to specific tribes and festivals, the topic rewards a systematic approach that links dance to community, season and instrument.
Sattriya: The Classical Dance of Assam
Sattriya is the classical dance form of Assam and is counted among the eight classical dances recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. It was introduced in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries by the great Vaishnava saint and reformer Srimanta Sankardeva as a medium for spreading devotion among the common people. Sattriya grew out of the Ankiya Naat, the one-act devotional plays written by Sankardeva, and was performed within the Sattras, the monastic institutions that he established. The dance therefore carries a strong devotional character and is centred on the worship of Vishnu or Krishna. Sattriya received formal recognition as a classical dance in the year 2000, which is a milestone fact that is frequently asked in objective examinations.
The Two Streams of Sattriya
Sattriya is broadly performed in two streams, known as the Gayan-Bayan and the Kharmanar. In the Gayan-Bayan stream, the Gayan are the singers and the Bayan are the drummers, and this form is performed by male dancers or bhokots in the Sattras. The Kharmanar stream is performed by women and is gentler in movement. The dance is accompanied by the Khol, a barrel-shaped drum, the Taal or cymbals, and the flute, and its repertoire includes items such as the Sutradhara, the Gopi, the Chali and the Jhumura. The Chali dances are especially important because they are said to represent the waves of the Brahmaputra. Historically, Sattriya was performed by celibate monks in the Sattras, and only in recent decades has it been opened to women and to the wider public.
Bihu Dance and the Husori Tradition
The Bihu dance is the most widely known and most widely performed folk dance of Assam, and it is inseparable from the Bihu festivals, especially the spring festival of Rongali or Bohag Bihu. Young men and women dance in circles and lines to the beat of the Dhol, the Pepa made of buffalo horn, the Gogona and the Taal. The dance celebrates fertility, the arrival of the agricultural season and the joy of youth. The Husori is a related tradition in which a group of male performers visits households during Bihu and sings and dances in the courtyard, receiving gifts and blessings, and it is often performed around the Bihu Husori and Bihuwoti. In 2023, the Bihu dance entered the Guinness World Records when more than eleven thousand dancers performed together at Guwahati, a fact that has become a favourite in current-affairs-linked questions.
Bagurumba and the Bodo Tradition
Bagurumba is the finest folk dance of the Bodo community and is often described as the butterfly dance because of the graceful, fluttering movements of the dancers. It is performed by Bodo women during the Bwisagu or Baisagu festival, also known as the Bodo New Year, which marks the beginning of the agricultural year. The dance is performed to the accompaniment of traditional Bodo instruments such as the Kham, the Sifung and the Jotha, and it celebrates nature, birds and the harmony of village life. Bagurumba has become one of the most recognisable symbols of Bodo culture and is frequently asked as the major folk dance of the Bodos in competitive examinations.
Bhortal Nritya and Ojapali
The Bhortal Nritya is a devotional dance from Barpeta that was introduced by Narahari Burha Bhakat, a disciple of Srimanta Sankardeva, and was later popularised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Jatin Goswami. The distinguishing feature of this dance is that the performers hold large cymbals, called Bhortal, in their hands and use them both as instruments and as props while dancing to the Narayana Vandana. Ojapali is another distinctive performance tradition of Assam, associated with the Darrang and Kamrup regions. The Oja is the lead singer-narrator, assisted by the Dainya and the Pali, and the performance uses the Dhol, the Taal and cymbals. Ojapali has two forms, the Byah Ojapali, which narrates the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and the Sukananni Ojapali, which is associated with the worship of Manasa Devi.
Deodhani and Ritual Dances
The Deodhani dance is a ritual dance performed mainly at the Kamakhya temple and during the Ambubachi Mela. The Deodhani is generally a female performer who is believed to be possessed by the deity Manasa, and the dance is characterised by vigorous, trance-like movement. It belongs to the Shaktism tradition of Assam and is associated with the worship of the serpent goddess. Other ritual dances include the dances connected with the worship of the Garia deity, especially among the Tripuri and other communities of the Barak valley, where the Garia dance is performed to ensure a good harvest. These ritual forms show how dance in Assam is deeply interwoven with religion and with the agricultural cycle.
Tribal and Regional Folk Dances
Assam is home to many indigenous communities, and each has its own dance tradition. The Mishing community performs dances during the Ali-Ai-Ligang festival, the Karbis celebrate their harvest with the Hacha Kekan and other dances during festivals such as Rongker, the Rabha community performs the Faakua dance, and the Tiwa community has the Liting and Barilam dances. The Dimasa perform the Baidima dance during the Busu festival, while the Chakma of southern Assam perform dances during the Bizu festival. The Naga communities of the hills perform elaborate dances during their festivals, and the Deori, Sonowal Kachari, Bora and other groups each preserve distinctive steps and costumes. This diversity is one of the strongest themes for a general knowledge question, so it is worth learning the dance together with the community and the festival.
Costumes, Instruments and Themes
The costumes of Assamese dances are as distinctive as the dances themselves. Bihu dancers wear the Mekhela Chador, the traditional Assamese dress, with the Bihuwoti wearing red and white and the men wearing the Dhoti, Gamosa and Chadar. Sattriya performers wear the Pat Silk or Muga Silk costume with traditional ornaments, and the Bodo dancers of Birubari wear the Dokhona. The instruments that accompany these dances include the Dhol, the Khol, the Taal, the Pepa, the Gogona, the Xutuli, the Bhortal and the Sifung. The themes range from the love of Krishna and Radha in the Sattriya repertoire to the celebration of nature and fertility in the folk forms, and from the epic narratives of Ojapali to the trance of the Deodhani. Remembering the dance together with its costume, instrument and theme makes recall far more reliable in the examination hall.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Sattriya is the classical dance form of Assam and the only classical dance of the North East.
- Sattriya was introduced by Srimanta Sankardeva in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
- Sattriya was recognised as a classical dance by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000.
- The two streams of Sattriya are Gayan-Bayan and Kharmanar.
- Sattriya grew out of the Ankiya Naat and was performed in the Sattras by celibate monks.
- Bihu dance is the most popular folk dance of Assam and is linked to Rongali Bihu.
- Husori is the male group performance of Bihu that visits households.
- Bagurumba is the major folk dance of the Bodo community, performed during Bwisagu.
- Bhortal Nritya is from Barpeta and uses large cymbals; it was introduced by Narahari Burha Bhakat.
- Ojapali has two forms, Byah Ojapali and Sukananni Ojapali, and is linked to Darrang.
- Deodhani is a ritual dance performed at Kamakhya, especially during Ambubachi Mela.
- The Mishing perform during Ali-Ai-Ligang and the Karbi perform Hacha Kekan.
- The Dimasa perform Baidima during the Busu festival.
- Bihu dancers wear the Mekhela Chador, Sattriya dancers wear Muga or Pat silk.
- The main instruments are Dhol, Khol, Taal, Pepa, Gogona and Bhortal.
- The Bihu dance set a Guinness World Record in Guwahati in 2023.
Quick Revision Points
- Remember the sequence: Sattriya is classical, all the others are folk.
- Link each dance to a cue: Sattriya to Sankardeva, Bagurumba to Bodo, Deodhani to Kamakhya.
- Learn the festivals with the dances: Bihu, Bwisagu, Ali-Ai-Ligang, Busu and Bizu.
- Keep the two Sattriya streams and the two Ojapali forms clearly separate.
- Note the instruments that define each form, especially the Khol and the Bhortal.
- Remember 2000 as the year Sattriya received classical status.
How to Prepare This Topic
- Prepare a table with columns for dance, community or founder, festival and instrument.
- Separate the classical form Sattriya from the folk dances and study them first.
- Learn the tribal dances community by community, using the festival as the memory cue.
- Write short notes on Sankardeva and the Ankiya Naat.
- Revise the costumes of the major dances, as they are asked as matching questions.
- Attempt the practice questions on this page twice, with a gap of a few days.
Common Exam Traps
- Thinking that Bihu is a classical dance; it is a folk dance of Assam.
- Forgetting that Sattriya was recognised as classical only in 2000.
- Mixing up Bagurumba, which is Bodo, with the Mishing and Karbi dances.
- Confusing the two Ojapali forms, Byah and Sukananni.
- Attributing the Deodhani dance to a festival other than Ambubachi or a place other than Kamakhya.
- Writing that Husori is performed by women; it is traditionally a male group performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the classical dance of Assam and who introduced it?
Sattriya is the classical dance of Assam. It was introduced by the Vaishnava saint and reformer Srimanta Sankardeva in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries as a part of the Ankiya Naat performed in the Sattras. It received formal recognition as a classical dance in the year 2000.
What are the two streams of Sattriya dance?
Sattriya is performed in two streams, the Gayan-Bayan and the Kharmanar. The Gayan-Bayan is performed by male dancers or bhokots, while the Kharmanar is performed by women and has softer, more graceful movements. Both use the Khol and the Taal.
Which dance is associated with Rongali Bihu and what is Husori?
The Bihu dance is associated with Rongali or Bohag Bihu, the spring festival of Assam. The Husori is a related tradition in which a group of male performers visits households during Bihu and sings and dances in the courtyard. The Bihu dance set a Guinness World Record in Guwahati in 2023.
Bagurumba belongs to which community and festival?
Bagurumba is the major folk dance of the Bodo community. It is performed during the Bwisagu or Baisagu festival, which marks the Bodo New Year. It is often called the butterfly dance because of the graceful, fluttering movements of the dancers.
Where is the Deodhani dance performed and what does it represent?
The Deodhani dance is a ritual dance performed mainly at the Kamakhya temple during the Ambubachi Mela. The performer is believed to be possessed by the goddess Manasa, and the dance is characterised by vigorous, trance-like movement. It belongs to the Shakti tradition of Assam.