[4][5] These dances are part of the living traditions today of Sattra, which are communities of live-in devotees belonging to the Ekasarana Dharma, a Hindu sect established by Sankardev.

[12][16] Dance and performance arts, states this ancient text,[17] are a form of expression of spiritual ideas, virtues, and the essence of scriptures.

[18] The history of dance arts in Assam goes back to antiquity, as evidenced by copper plate inscriptions and sculpture relating to Shaivism and Shaktism traditions.

[6][20][19] Since the 15th century, the Sattriya art grew as part of the Vaishnava bhakti movement, in Hindu monasteries called Sattra.

[25] To Shankaradeva, religious values, ethics, joys of life and performance arts were intimately linked, and he asked the leaders of Hindu monasteries to compose at least one play, during their tenure, before they die.

[33] Sattriya Nritya is a genre of dance drama that tells mythical and religious stories through hand and face expressions.

The basic dance unit and exercise of a Sattriya is called a Mati Akhara, equal 64 just like in Natya Shastra, are the foundational sets dancers learn during their training.

[34] Traditionally, Sattriya was performed only by bhokots (male monks) in monasteries as a part of their daily rituals or to mark special festivals.

[citation needed] The plays choreographed in a Sattriya are those found in Hindu texts such as the Bhāgavata Purāna, the Epics, and the compositions by Assamese scholars.

[citation needed] A key musical instrument that accompanies a Sattriya performance is the khol (two-faced, asymmetrical drum quite different from the rest of India) played with fingers.

[37][note 1] A Sattriya performance comes in many styles such as the Sutradhara (or Sutra-bhangi), character specific Bhangi, Prabesh, Nritya and Jhumura.

[8] The Sutradhara is a style that tells a story and presents the spiritual values of Vaisnavism in a complete classical format: nritta, nritya and natya.

[4][5] The character specific different styles of Sattriya have their own dress variations, and focus on the various life stages and activities of Radha, Krishna and the gopis.