The Intricate Beauty of Assam’s Manuscript Paintings: The North-East’s Hidden Art Treasures

ॐ श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः ॐ श्री शिवानन्दाय नमः ॐ श्री चिदानन्दाय नमः ॐ श्री दुर्गायै नमः 

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The Bhakti Cult that rose to prominence during the time of Sankaradeva spearheaded the resurgence of art and culture veering around devotion and worship in Assam.

Religious scriptures were venerated and they became subjects of painting, dance, music and architecture. Community prayer gained prominence in lieu of individual worship.

The Bhagavatha Purana rendered into Assamese by Mahapurush Sankara deva made it accessible to the local populace. These Assamese verses were painted on cloth and came to be known as Manuscript Paintings.

The illustration and transcription of religious manuscripts by tribes like Likhaks, Patuas and Khanikars gradually evolved into the Assam school of painting. The Assam School of painting was divided into Sattriya and Royal styles.

The Sattriya styles contained the stories of the Epics and Puranas and were illustrated under the guidance of the Vaishnava preachers like Shankaradeva and Madhavadeva. Different combinations of colours were used and they characterised dramatic narration, simple composition and precise draughtsmanship.

The manuscripts or Sanchipats are made from the bark of the aloe or Sanchi tree through a complex, intricate and lengthy procedure. 

This method which is unique to Assam is said to have been later used by the Greeks when Alexander invaded Punjab and he also discovered the Indian tradition of using well-beaten cotton cloth and the inner bark of trees as writing materials.

These traditional paintings dated back from the 7^th century AD and the most prominent ones were Hastividyaranya and Chitra Bhagavata.

The paintings of the Patuas were called Pats. The works of the Khanikars centred on monasteries or Satras and the Naam Ghars and were excellent artistic creations.

Most of these paintings were found in the manuscripts including paintings done on Assam silk. This style of paintings also showed the influence of Mughal, Pahari and Rajput styles along with local traditional Assam traditions.

The Royal style developed two more styles – Darrang and Garhagaon.

Manuscript Painting of Assam: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives :

Introduction

Visual arts in India have existed evolved over many centuries and are characterized by diverse styles. In Assam, the art of painting developed around the culture of manuscript illustration in line and colour (Kalita 2009).

There is historical reference to the art of painting in Assam in the Harsha Charita, with mention of gifts in the form of panels for painting on Agaru bark (Aquilaria Agalocha) along with brushes and colour pots (Boruah 2010), from the Assamese king Bhaskaravarman (seventh century CE) to Emperor Harsha.

On the other hand, the earliest extant (emphasis mine) example of manuscript illustration in Assam is from the Phung Chin manuscript, dated 1473 CE and Suktanta Kyempong in Ahom language and script.

These illustrations have been drawn in the Burmese style and have their origin in South East Asia and not in Assam (Choudhury n.d.).

In order to understand the development and current status of manuscript painting in Assam, the article is divided into two sections.

The first section outlines the historical development of manuscript painting in Assam. It provides information about different styles of painting, artists involved, materials utilized, various influences and decline of this form of painting.

The second section throws light on the current status of manuscript painting in Assam. It provides insights into the development and changes that are taking places among a few existing artists of manuscript painting in Assam. 

Section 1

Historical development of manuscript painting in Assam

The art of painting flourished in Assam from the 16th century onwards. The Bhakti movement, which spread in the medieval period through the work of Sankaradeva (1449-1569) helped to give birth to a vigorous culture of literature and art.

In the Katha-Guru-Charita – the prose biographies of the Vaishnava saints of Assam – it is stated that Shankaradeva painted Sat-Vaikuntha (seven celestial worlds) on pressed cotton paper for the theatrical performance, the Chinha-Yatra.

Sankaradeva was also responsible for creation of many literary works and his followers later pursued this tradition. One significant aspect of the movement is that it recognized the worship of sacred scriptures instead of any formal idol made of stone, wood or any other substance.

The movement initiated by Sankaradeva laid stress on moral and spiritual development of its a. In this pursuit, the movement introduced among people development of different branches of art such as painting, drama, songs, dance and playing of musical instruments.

The religious movement also resulted in the foundation and proliferation of institutions or Vaishnava monasteries known as Satras.

Establishment of Satras was a great boost for the promotion and continuation of literary activities and art in society.

Future developments saw proliferation of copying and illustration of manuscripts in countless numbers.

One of the earliest dated manuscript that comes from Satra is a copy of the Bhagavata-Purana, Book 6. It is a transcript of the book written by Sankaradeva and was prepared in 1678 for illustration work.

Artists involved in Manuscript Painting :

The craftsmen responsible for creation of paintings and penmanship were known as khanikars. Satras patronized and supported them. These craftsmen were traditional carvers primarily associated with woodcrafts and also worked as make-up men during bhaonas or one of the traditional forms of drama in Assam.

The familiarity with colour and form of traditional theatre of the artists inspired them to create parallel pictorial forms in the folios of manuscripts. That is why many figural forms appear to dance in pictorial space.

Although Khanikars were responsible for creation of beautiful paintings on manuscripts, there is very little information about them. The artists of the Satras mostly believed it to be sacrilegious to inscribe their names in a literary work written by their guru.

Khanikars were clerics of the Satras and their primary duty was to render religious services regularly. They cultivated different art activities to supplement their normal clerical functions.

Their devotion to the movement led them to render many paintings in a single manuscript. 

Different schools of manuscript painting of Assam

The pictorial style that developed within the ambit of satras and that was inaugurated by the khanikars may be designated as Satriya. The earliest example of illustrated manuscripts of Assam has come from Satriya style of painting.

During the prime period of Ahom rule in Assam in the 18th century, there developed another painting style, which was influenced by the Mughal principles of pictorial art.

The new style of painting was named as the Court style or Royal style after its association with the Ahom Court of Assam.

The Ahoms seem to have followed the royal patrons of art as in other parts of India (Neog 1981). These artists appear to have emigrated from the Mughal court to Assam when Mughal dominion over north India was starting to disintegrate.

During the concluding decades of the 18th century the Satriya pictorial idiom moved to Darrang (north bank of the Brahmaputra in Assam).

Paintings created in Darrang were somewhat different in style characterized primarily by folk treatment of forms. This group of manuscript paintings has been categorized under the Darrang style.

Another school of painting in Assam seems to be an offshoot of the Buddhist art of Upper Burma; which is seen in the many Buddhist and semi-Buddhist manuscripts composed in languages of Shan origin. This School appears to have made some influence in Assam’s Vaisnava school.

The Phung Chin manuscript and Suktanta Kyempong in Ahom language and script mentioned earlier also fall under this style of painting which has been termed as the Tai-Ahom style.

Themes of manuscripts in Assam

Manuscripts in Assam consisted of illustrations of stories from the Bhagavata, the Puranas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata that were mostly created to supplement the text that was written along with these paintings.

Some manuscripts even depicted about Manasa Devi, the goddess of snakes and these were wrapped in cobra-skins.

However, manuscripts were not restricted to religious content only. There were manuscripts on chronicles of kings’ known as Buranjis. Manuscripts also provided information on family genealogical history or Vamsavali.

Materials used and process of production in manuscript painting

Manuscript leaves in Assam were made of two materials namely sanchipat, the thicker variety made from the bark of sanchi tree or aloes wood or Aquilaria agallocha and Tulapat leaves of which were made by pressing cotton.

The preparation entailed a laborious process of curing, seasoning and polishing the raw slices before the folios could be made to retain the ink.

Gait provides a detailed account of the process of preparing Sanchipat in an appendix to his History of Assam (Bhuyan 1930). In Assam, ink or mahi was generally prepared with silikha (Terminalia citrina) and bulls urine and sometimes from the extracts of amlaka (phylanthus amblica), elandhu (soot) and barks of some of the trees.

This ink is known for its quality as even now the writings are still found to be legible and distinct. Colours used in painting are indigo derived from indigo plant, haital (arsenic sulphide), hengul (mercury sulphide), khorimati used for the colour white and ash derived from silikha for use of black. 

Characteristics of manuscript paintings of Assam :

Certain general features characterize manuscript painting of Assam. The pictorial format in such paintings is usually of horizontal progression instead of rectangular isolation with which the Mughal artists worked.

Among Satriya paintings, postures are angular and the faces are in strict profile except in case of a few figures. Emphasis on contour is also a characteristic feature (Kalita 2009).

Physiology and physiognomy is not taken into major consideration and the painter mostly does not attempt individualization of characters. Emphasis is given more to symmetry and movements of groups, which are dynamically presented.

Perspective and the third dimension is nowhere in evidence. Successive scenes are flatly brought on the same place like those in celluloid ribbons of cinematograph.

Paintings are usually painted in arched or zigzag pannels. The background is usually monochrome red or at times, blue, grey or brown. The landscape is simple, consisting of blue sky, decorative trees; the water is treated in basket pattern.

Lyrical draughtmanship, simple composition, dramatic narration, and splendid colours give the Bhagavata illustrations a charm which distinguish them from similar Bhagavata paintings from Udaipur and elsewhere.

Unlike brilliant pigments of the Satriya palette, palette of artists of the Ahom court was an extended one and was predominated more by mute and dark tones like mute greens or olive greens. Mauve, pink and grey were few other pigments, which enriched the colour palette.

Influences on manuscript painting of Assam :

Many scholars and artists have commented about the influence of other Indian schools of painting on manuscript illustrations of Assam. There’s similarity in these illustrations with the illustrated Jain, Newari and Oriya schools of manuscript paintings.

Manuscripts with illuminated margins are known as Lata-Kata Puthi. This trend of drawing border around manuscripts was a Mughal characteristic .

Decline of manuscript paintings of Assam :

Manuscript paintings of Assam were a vibrant form of art since the 16th century. However, gradually this culture of painting started to decline.

In 1769 a section of Vaishnava devotees affiliated to Moamaria order in upper Assam revolted against the Ahom monarchy. This led to collapse of Ahom administration and resultant downfall of creative activities leading to emigration of some artists to different satras.

Although devastation caused by the rebellion stopped, the situation again turned violent after 1817 with successive acts of aggressions from the Burmese.

The Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826 led to control of East India Company over the territory of Assam and this ended the 600 years old Ahom rule in Assam.

In the absence of patrons, there was a fall in the number of skilled artisans. Very few artists of Satras kept the flame burning till early 20th century in spite of many hurdles that came their way.

Printing technology that was introduced in Assam by American Baptist Missionaries around 1836 is considered as another major reason for the decline of manuscript painting in Assam. Even then, manuscript writing on Sanchi leaves and for religious purposes was still preferred over printed religious books.

Hundreds of manuscripts were also lost or damaged due to recurrent menace of flood and hostile weather conditions in Assam.

With time and especially post liberalization, decline of recital from manuscripts during rites diminished to a great extent.The simultaneous absence of manuscript-production also resulted in decrease in both demand and supply.

Present Status of Manuscript Painting in Assam

As discussed earlier, the practice of manuscript painting in Assam witnessed a significant decline over time. However, this decline was paralleled by a growing academic interest in the preservation and study of these manuscripts.

During the British period and post-independence era, several scholars and institutions made efforts to preserve and catalogue manuscript paintings. These academics also documented traditional methods of preparing paper, ink, and natural colours. Alongside these efforts, a handful of dedicated artists, despite numerous challenges, continued to keep the tradition alive.

Today, only a small group of artists in Assam are engaged in manuscript painting and writing. Most of them follow the Satriya style, although elements from other schools can also be seen in their work. Some of these artists are affiliated with Satras, while others are not. In most cases, they have not learned the art form formally within the Satras but have acquired it through independent study—drawing from books, guidance from scholars and pontiffs, and through self-experimentation and practice.

A few artists were fortunate to learn aspects of this art form from one of the last surviving Khanikars of Auniati Satra in Majuli, Assam. This cleric, who learned the tradition from his teachers at the Satra, practiced manuscript painting primarily by creating lata-kata puthis—ornate and colourful borders for manuscripts—using traditional techniques. Although he has since passed away, other Khanikars continue to be involved in related traditional crafts such as woodwork, makeup for Bhaonas, musical instrument making, and the creation of traditional hand-fans.

Contemporary artists practise manuscript painting mainly for its cultural and aesthetic value. Some engage in reproducing old works, while others create new paintings based on mythological themes or even modern concepts. Beyond creating artworks, they are also active in promoting the tradition by conducting workshops and teaching interested individuals and students.

While the use of manuscripts remains largely confined to Satras, a few families still maintain the tradition of placing manuscripts on their home altars alongside printed religious texts. Artists continue to write and paint manuscripts using traditional methods for this limited clientele.

Due to the scarcity of traditional materials such as sanchipat, tulapat, and natural pigments, and in an effort to reach a wider audience, some artists have started working on alternative surfaces like canvas and cloth using synthetic colours. However, they strive to maintain the traditional colour schemes, motifs, and visual language.

A few artists have also begun creating welcome scrolls and letters of appreciation on Sanchi bark. These creations—both in traditional formats and modern adaptations—have found popularity among visitors from across India and abroad.

These artists remain hopeful that with the involvement of more dedicated individuals—who are willing to invest time, patience, and skill—the art of manuscript painting in Assam can witness a revival. Building technical finesse, paying attention to detail, and developing a deep understanding of the accompanying texts are essential for artists.

Conclusion :

Manuscript painting in Assam represents a significant facet of the rich cultural heritage of both Assam and India. Flourishing during the medieval period through the institution of satras, this art form drew inspiration from various painting traditions and served as a vital medium for preserving and disseminating knowledge—both within the satras and the broader society.

Although it witnessed a decline during the British Raj and post-independence era, a few committed artists kept the tradition alive through their dedicated efforts.

Even today, some artists continue to practise, preserve, and promote this art form. By incorporating contemporary idioms and sensibilities, they remain hopeful that this tradition will be carried forward by future generations as a living expression of cultural continuity…