Origin and Development of the Sattaka

Summary

Chandramouli S. Naikar’s Origin and Development of the Sattaka traces the lineage of the Saṭṭaka, a secondary form of Indian drama (Uparupaka). Indian dramaturgy categorises plays into ten superior forms dominated by poetry and eighteen secondary forms emphasising mime and dancefile:///home/oai/share/final_articles/sattaka.pdf#:~:text=ten%20Superior%20forms%20,The%20Saftaka. The Saṭṭaka belongs to the latter group and likely evolved from popular oral plays; its absence in early written literature does not imply that theatre was absentfile:///home/oai/share/final_articles/sattaka.pdf#:~:text=of%20it%20is%20unclear,%E2%80%9D2. Scholars like Adya Rangacharya describe Uparupakas as dance dramas with dialects, low characters and humourfile:///home/oai/share/final_articles/sattaka.pdf#:~:text=further%20observes%3A%20%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20the,in%20detail%20the%20Folk%20Stage. Despite the lack of scripts, evidence suggests that folk performances existed long before classical Sanskrit dramafile:///home/oai/share/final_articles/sattaka.pdf#:~:text=all,%E2%80%9D2. Naikar synthesises views from Sylvain Lévi, Sten Konow and A. N. Upadhye to argue that vernacular theatre was an important precursor to Sanskrit theatre. The Saṭṭaka’s features include mixed prose and verse, rustic themes and integration of dance and mime. Naikar concludes that the Saṭṭaka represents a bridge between popular folk culture and classical dramaturgy and calls for further research into regional folk dramas.