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The Sattriya dance was introduced in the 15th century by which saint of Assam?
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Answer: Option D — Srimanta Sankaradeva
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Srimanta Sankaradeva. Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449-1568) was a saint, poet, playwright, musician, social reformer and religious leader of Assam. He founded the neo-Vaishnavite movement in Assam, which taught devotion to a single God, Krishna (an avatar of Vishnu), and rejected caste discrimination and elaborate rituals. His teaching is called Ek Sharana Naam Dharma (the religion of surrender to one God).
Sankaradeva believed that the arts were a powerful way to spread devotion among ordinary people. He composed devotional songs called Borgeet, wrote one-act plays called Ankiya Nat in the Brajavali language, and created the dances that were performed in these plays. He also built the namghar (community prayer hall) and founded the sattras (Vaishnavite monasteries), which became centres of religion, learning and the arts. The dances that he created for the Ankiya Nat were preserved and developed in the sattras by the monks over the next five centuries, and they became known as Sattriya, meaning "of the sattras". His disciple Madhavadeva continued his work, composing more Borgeets and plays. Sattriya was recognised as a classical dance by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000. Sankaradeva is also known for his rendering of the Bhagavata Purana into Assamese and for the Vrindavani Vastra, a famous woven textile depicting the life of Krishna, made under his direction.
About the other options:
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534) was a Vaishnava saint of Bengal who spread devotion to Krishna through kirtan (devotional singing and dancing). He was a contemporary of Sankaradeva, but he is not the founder of Sattriya.
Vallabhacharya (1479-1531) founded the Pushti Marg tradition of Krishna devotion, centred on the worship of Shrinathji at Nathdwara in Rajasthan.
Ramanuja (11th and 12th centuries) was a philosopher who founded the Vishishtadvaita school of Vedanta and is an important figure of the Sri Vaishnava tradition of South India.
💡 Exam tip
Link Sankaradeva with Sattriya, the sattras, the Borgeet, the Ankiya Nat and the namghar. Remember that he lived from 1449 to 1568, a very long life of about 119 years.💬 Discussions on this question
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Ask a doubtMore Indian Dance Forms Questions
View all ›- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:
Indian Dance Forms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian Dance Forms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
Indian dance forms are one of the most frequently tested areas of static GK. This topic covers the eight classical dances recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and Sattriya), the folk and tribal dances of every state, and related terms such as mudra, abhinaya, lasya and tandava. Most questions ask which state a dance belongs to, which community performs it, or which feature identifies a classical style. Learn the classical dances with their state and one signature feature each, such as the face make-up of Kathakali or the brass plate of Kuchipudi. For folk dances, group them state by state, since exams often list three or four dances and ask for the common state. Watch for dances shared by more than one state, such as Chhau, which has three styles. Practise the Indian dance forms questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.