In ancient Assam, from the 4th century onwards, the main language used by kings and writers was Sanskrit, and later, a form of Sanskrit-influenced Assamese. Between the 10th and 14th centuries, the earliest Assamese literature was the Charyapada, a collection of mystical songs. Many writers also translated the Puranas, Ramayana, and other Indian epics into Assamese. The most famous among these was Madhab Kandali’s Assamese Ramayana.
In the 15th century, Assamese literature grew rapidly because of the Vaishnavite movement led by Srimanta Sankardeva. Many poems, prose books, dramas, and charit puthis were written at this time. Sankardeva wrote several one-act plays called Ankiya Naat, which were performed in Namghars. Later, Bhattadeva enriched Assamese prose with books like Katha Geeta, Bhagawat Katha, and Ratnawali Katha.
Writers like Pitambar Kavi and Mankar, who were not part of the Vaishnavite movement, wrote many story-based songs. The Ahom kings encouraged the writing of history first in the Tai (Thai) language, and from the 16th century, in Assamese. Many of these records were preserved by the British later.
Modern Assamese literature began to grow after the first Assamese magazine, Arunodoi, was published in 1846 by American Baptist Missionaries. Slowly, Assamese literature also began to take ideas from world literature.