The State of Assam is virtually a colourful mosaic of various socio-linguistic and colourful traditions comprising among other things, dance and music. The Sattriya dance is a major segment of Assamese art and culture, which is now immensely revered and has attained a very high degree of popularity. This art form was evolved by Sankaradeva a vaisnava saint, visionary thinker, reformer and a creative genieus during the last decade of 15th century A.D. as a skilful contrivance for the propagation of his bhakti faith. The history of medieval India was a glowing one which witnessed a pervasive resurgence of religious consciousness that was bound to creat a renaissance enlivening the socio-cultural life of the people. Such an all pervading religious consciousness also grew up in Assam under the leadership of vaisnava saint Sankaradeva, which brought entire sociocultural milieu under the spell of resurgence. The Sattriya dance is an up shot of such vaisnava or bhakti movement of the land having various multi dimensional facets within it.
The term Sattriya has certain connotation which postulates an idea of a composite art form. Sankaradeva introduced this dance style in the form of dance-drama, popularly called Ankiya-nat. It was further enriched magnificently by his spiritual successor Madhavadeva, who was also versatile thinker and creative genious. He not only enriched the original work of his great guru but also expanded the dimension of this noval trait to a great extent by innovating various independent dance numbers not related to drama. This creativity of Madhavadeva, however, was on the format of his great master Sankaradeva. The Sattra institutions which were organized by the exponents of Assam vaisnavism as repository and propagating agency of Sankarite faith and culture, gave a novel and remarkable fillip to this traditional heritage. These Sattra institutions crystallised the works of both Sankaradeva and Madhavadeva through vigorous practice, added new artistic embellishments, effloresced it with new forms and elements leading to a distinctive trait of the land. Because of the skilful innovations made by the Sattras, their continuous practice till date, their earnest endeavour for extension and survival of this art form, people named this dance style as Sattriya.