A sharp mridanga beat slices through the hall. The flute answers. Then come the dancers—feet striking the floor in rhythm. The composition—Sita Bibaha Bihar—staged as part of Festival of New Choreographies: KalaYatra 2026 curated by Sonal Mansingh at Kamani Auditorium in Delhi, traces the union of Rama and Sita with lyrical restraint and devotional fervour.
Sattriya carries the stillness of the monastery and the sweep of riverine Assam within its grammar. Born in the 15th-16th century Vaishnavite reformist movement of Srimanta Sankardev, it evolved inside the sattras (Vaishnavite monasteries). Rooted in the medieval theatre tradition of Ankiya Bhavna, it combines nritta (pure dance), nritya (expressive dance), abhinaya (dramatic interpretation), music, and poetry. Recognised as one of India’s eight classical dance forms in 2000, Sattriya retains a liturgical core even as it travels the proscenium stage.
Hailing from Majuli, choreographer Bhabananda Barbayan belongs to the seventh and last generation in his family to be adopted into a Sattra. Initiated as a monk at three, he became a Sattriya master by 16. Now in his 50s, he says, “Sattriya adopts elements from other art forms of the region as that makes it more authentic, but the themes are sometimes inspired from outside Assam.”
Traditionally performed by male bhokots (monks), Sattriya today includes women performers and secular stages, expanding its vocabulary without diluting its core. Its repertoire ranges from mati akharas (foundational exercises) to narrative pieces drawn from the Bhagavata Purana. The music—borgeet compositions, cymbals, khol—drives the choreography, while facial expression remains restrained, dignified, inward.
In Sattriya, artistes traverse the rasas only to culminate in Bhakti—the ultimate rasa. “Bhakti forms the prana, the philosophy of this art. And the bhakti here is unconditional; it is love without asking for the same in return,” Barbayan says. For him, the form is sustenance. “Sattriya is life and breath for me; something I cannot survive in the absence of. While my ancestors always performed and practiced in the monastery, I considered it important to propagate the art form far and wide.” He has performed in over 40 countries, including France, Switzerland and the US. At a time of fractured attention and perpetual anxiety, he remains unwavering about tradition. “People today live in a constant state of stress. And this is exactly when art becomes more important.”
In every beat of the khol, every lifted glance, Sattriya offers not escape—but anchorage.