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Srimanta Sankardev and his Schools of Sattriya Dance and Sankari Music Guptajit Pathak Assistant Professor, Department of History Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Gitanagar, Guwahati- 781 021 Dist. Kamrup (Assam) E-mail ID : guptajitpathak@yahoo.com Mobile : +91-99548-85175 & Ph. D. Research Scholar Department of Women’s Studies Magadh University Boodh Gaya, Bihar, India Introduction: The great Vaishnavite saint Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev in unison was a scholar, play writer, social and religious reformer is a huge figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam. He created a new form of classical dance– a beautiful classic dance of Assam known as Sattriya dance. The great saint created this dance as an accessory to the Ankiya Naat (a form of Assamese one-act plays), which were generally performed in the Sattras. It is either known as Sankari dance or Sattriya Dance. In fact the ‘Sankari Dance’ is more suitable one. However, it is popular as Sattriya Dance outside the state. The organizers who popularized the dance outside the boundary of the state officially used the name ‘Sattriya Dance’ and some of them were uninterested to bring into play the name ‘Sankari Dance’. And in due course of time, some Sattra in Assam developed eccentricity. They find it hard to respect the principles and works of the great saint. They are keen on idol worship and worship of five divinities as well. Components of the Sattriya Dance: Sattriya Dance is one amongst the eight major classical Indian dance traditions. It worth mentioning here that the other seven classical dances of India are– Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Mohini Attam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathak and Manipuri. The other traditions dances have been revived in the recent past. But, Sattriya Dance has stated a living tradition since its conception by the Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardev in the 15th century. The distinctiveness of Satriya dance is underlined by the supremacy of Aharya and Vasik types of acting in it. The artists who perform the dance transmit their messages through speeches and external material like masks, costumes etc. in Sattriya dance. On the other hand, the other classical dances of India are distinguished by Sattvic type of acting. Sattriya dances are noticeably different from other dances like Odissi, Kathak, Bharatnatyam etc. Some of the outstanding features of these dances are trembling, perspiration, fainting, shedding tear, broken voice, etc. which is not observed on our Sattriya Dance. The Sattriya dance has seven vital components that are known as Dhemali. These are– Bar Dhemali, Ghosha Dhemali, Deva Dhemali, Raga Dhemali, Nati Dhemali, Ram Dhemali and Na Dhemali. Again all Dhemali has five components each. These are– Jorani, Dhumahi, Maan, Sanchar and Khandi. However Chahini is performed ahead of to the performance of any Dhemali. It is mainly a recital of the khol (drum) that was invented by Srimanta Sankardeva. It is the first component of Ganika.
2 The main reason of performing Chahini is to create a creative environment and to get ready the audience for feel the pleasure of the upcoming performances. This is recited both in sitting and standing postures and it lacks the dance part. Sattriya Dance in Ankiya Naats: As mentioned earlier Srimanta Sankardev created the Sattriya Dance as an accompany to the Ankiya Naat that were performed in the Sattras mainly. The Gayan (singers) and Bayan (instrumentalists) recite Ganika song-dance before starting the play. Along with them, the performers sing the songs too. The Sattriya dances comprises of quite a few bhangi (gesture). These are like Krishna bhangi, Sutra bhangi, Narada bhangi, Mahadeva bhangi etc. The main characters of the Ankiya Naats have distinctive bhangi. In addition to these, the Gayan and Bayan perform Ganika song-dance before the start of the play. However the Ganika is not the same as Purbaranga as we observe in the Sanskrit plays because the Purbaranga does not contain any dance part. The external materials like Agnigarh, Ar-kapor, Ariya etc are used in the time of the performance of Ganika in order to craft the spiritual value of the Ankiya Naat properly to the audience. These are generally a kind of prayer to God in the Sattriya dances. It is worth mentioning here that the performance of Gurughat is performed only in front of Guru-asana (altar). The Sattriya dances are recited subject to different Taal. There are twenty one Taal which can be mentioned as– Ektaal, Ektaali, Paritaal, Domaani, Kaharmaan, Rupak etc. Influence of Sattriya Dance in other Classical Dances: The Sattriya dance has influenced other dances of India. The Bharat Natyam dance is consists of the basics of the Sattriya dance. To mention among these is the Mati Akhora of Sattriya Dance– created by Sankardev to impart flexibility to the body of the dancer. It is the mandatory basic fo the learners of Sattriya Dance. The elements of Yogasana are also observed in Sattriya Dance. Some of the Mati Akhora included in classical dance form of Bharat Natyam. The classical form of Manipuri dance develops after the style and tradition of the Sattriya dance form.
3 History of Music in India: The classical music started with the chanting of the Veda even before 2400 BC in India and it was practiced till the first century A.D. However, the history of Sankari music is either older or of the same age with the Hindustani music. Srimanta Sankradev launched Sankari School of music in 1468 A.D. Due to the frequent foreign invasions the centres of ancient Indian culture were ruined. Hence, the original classical music and their texts remain untraced. The Hindustani music came into being in the medieval period. It is in fact a combination of Hindu and Islamic traditions. Srimanta Sankardev: The Pioneer of Music School in India: The great saint Srimanta Sankaradeva in alliance with his core disciple Madhavadeva, created a new classical school of music i.e. Sankari Music. The music school came into being with the songs ‘Bargeet’ composed by Srimanta Sankardev and Madhabdev. The other two Classical Schools of Music in India are the Hindustani School and the Carnatic School. However, the Sankari School of music was developed well earlier than the mentioned two Classical Schools of Music in the country. Thus, Srimanta Sankaradeva is pioneer musician in the entire nation. This is evident from the fact that the other pioneer musician of the Hindustani school like Tansen, Sultan Hussein Sorki were either of same generation or they belongs to a period later than of the great saint. Comparison of Ragas in Classical Music Schools of India: There are countless contribution of Srimanta Sankradev in the field of Classical Music in India. The great saint created so many Ragas that are completely different from the Raga in the Hindustani School of Music and the Carnatic School of Music in India. In the Sankari music, each and every Raga is independent. There is no differenbtiation of Raga or Ragini in the School of Sankari Music. While there are six main male Raga in the Hindustanti School of Music, the Carnatic School has seventy two Ragas. In the Hindustanti School of Music there are five secondary Ragini i.e. wives and they also have sons which are the derivative Raga. Vayoomandala, Timira, Meghamandala etc. are some of the Raga creted by Srimanta Sankardev. The Meghamandala Raga is popular in other states too. The Meghamandala Raga can be called the source of a very popular Raga amongst the Rajputs i.e. the Meghamallar Raga. The common characteristic of the both the Ragas is that they produces rain. It is worth mentioning here that the antiqueness of the Sankari Music is against the characteristics of the contemporary Hindustani Music. While the Raga of the Sankari School was carefully preserved by the devotees of the Eka Sarana Nama Dharma, most of the Raga of the Hindustanti School was lost for ever. Due to the lack of religious commitment the Raga of Hindustani School of Music could not be preserved. Conclusions: The heart of Sattriya Dance has usually been mythological chronicles. It was an imaginative way of presenting mythological teachings to the people in an easy to get to, instantaneous and pleasing manner. The great saint created new Ragas for singing the lyrics known as Bargeet. Initially, Sattriya Dance was performed only by bhokots in monasteries as a part of their daily rituals or to mark unique festivals. In contemporary time, Sattriya Dance is performed on stage both by men and women. References: 1. Barua, B. K. Sankardeva, Vaishanava Saint of Assam. 2. Barua, B. K. A Cultural History of Assam. 3. Bhallacharya, Harishchandra (1981) Asomiya Natya Sahityar Jilingali, Guwahati. 4. Bora, Khagendra Nath, Sankari Nrityar Namkaran Bitarka, Unpublished monograph. 5. Borkakoti, Sanjib Kumar, (2007) Place of Srimanta Sankaradeva in All-India Perspective, Guwahati. 6. Darbari, J (1998). Srimanta Sankardeva: The Living Legend, Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi-14. 7. Nath, U. (2001). Barpetar Sanskritik Buranji. 8. Sarma, S.N., Neo-Vaishnaviate Movement and Satra Institute of Assam.
4 9. Thakur, D. Mahapurush Sree Sree Sankardeva-Madhavdeva Charit.