Prelims 2014 · archive
EasyWith reference to the famous Sattriya dance, consider the following statements
- 1.Sattriya is a combination of music, dance and drama.
- 2.It is a centuries old living tradition of Vaishnavites of Assam.
- 3.It is based on classical Ragas and Talas of devotional songs composed by Tulsidas, Kabir and Mirabai.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 1 and 2 only
Sattriya is a dance-drama of the Vaishnava monasteries (sattras) of Assam that blends music, dance and drama. Its songs (borgeets) are composed by Srimanta Sankardev and Madhavdev, not by Tulsidas, Kabir or Mirabai.
- ✓ 1. Sattriya is a dance-drama combining ballad, dance and acting.
- ✓ 2. It began in the Krishna-centred Vaishnava monasteries of Assam and is attributed to Sankardev of the fifteenth-century bhakti movement; it is still performed.
- ✗ 3. The compositions are by Sankardev and Madhavdev (borgeets and ankiya nat), not by Tulsidas, Kabir and Mirabai.
Remember · Sattriya (Assam): Sankardev's Vaishnava sattras; music, dance and drama; borgeets by Sankardev and Madhavdev. Recognised as classical in 2000.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Chapter 3 “It is a dance- drama performance art with origins in the Krishna centred Vaishnavism monasteries of Assam, and attributed to the fifteenth century Bhakti movement scholar and saint Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2014, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 2014: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·