Chhau

Mask
of Purulia, West Bengal
Presented By:
PRAKRITI GORAI
(BFT/19/75)
The tradition of making Chhau masks started during the rule of king Madan Mohan Singh Deo
of Baghmundi. The Chhau mask is traditionally associated with the age-old dance forms,
Chhau nach in (Purulia district|Purulia)

CHHAU DANCE
Chhau dance also spelled as Chau or Chhaau, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial,
tribal and folk traditions, with origins in the East Indian region, and panned out to its variants in
the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. It is found in three styles named after the
location where they are performed, i.e. the Purulia Chau (Bengali: পুরুলিয়া ছৌ) of West Bengal,
the Seraikella Chau of Jharkhand and the Mayurbhanj Chau of Odisha.

The dance ranges from celebrating martial arts, acrobatics and athletics performed in festive
themes of a folk dance, to a structured dance with religious themes found in Shaivism,
Shaktism and Vaishnavism. The costumes vary between the styles, with Purulia and Serakeilla
using masks to identify the character. The stories enacted by Chhau dancers include those
from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Puranas and other Indian
literature.

The dance is traditionally an all males troupe, regionally celebrated particularly during spring
every year, and may be a syncretic dance form that emerged from a fusion of classical Hindu
dances and the traditions of ancient regional tribes.The dance is amazing and brings together
people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in a festive and religious spirit.
 The Chhau mask is a traditional
cultural heritage of Purulia in the
Indian state of West Bengal. The main
difference between the Purulia Chhau
dance and the Odisha Chhau dance is
in the use of the mask. Purulia Chhau
uses the mask in dance, but Odisha
does not, thereby combining facial
expression with body movement and
gesture.The Chhau mask of Purulia is
registered on the List of Geographical
Indications.As the basic difference of
Purulia Chhau the mask is unique and
traditional.

Theme and Style

The mask used in the Chhau dance of Purulia is mainly for mythological
characters such as Mahishasur-Mardini, Rama-Sita, the fight of Rama and
Rabana, etc. Sometimes small Santhal couple masks are used. The mask has
feathers and other ornaments that surround the face, which can be extended 2
feet from the mask itself. To portray Gods and Goddesses like Devi Durga,
Lakshmi and Kartik the masks are coloured dark yellow or bright orange. The
white colour is often used for lord Shiva, Ganesh and Devi Saraswati. Black or
dark blue is used for Maa Kali. A tilak is generally used on the forehead of
Krishna and Rama. The Asuras are painted in black or dark green with a thick
moustaches, protruding teeth and large eyes.
 Charida, the village that provides some of the best masks, is near Baghmundi block of
Purulia district. Around 250 artisans from 60-70 families, mostly belong to the Sutradhar
clan, are engaged in making these extraordinarily beautiful masks for generations. The
mask-maker needs extremely high artistic perfection and the detailed knowledge of the
epic and mythology is also essential to express the shade of a particular character.

The artisans of Charida normally have their workshops in their own houses along the
main road for direct trade with customers. They are busy round the year and, practically
every house and every member of the household is seen occupied in making masks or
assembling decorations for headgears. The masks produced from this village cater the
needs of Chhau dance groups of entire Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura districts.
 The Making of Chhau Mask
The making of Chauu mask is completed in three basic stages- Mathomathi, Coloration and
Decoration. The first stage is again divided into four sub stages.

First step-Mathamathi
On the face made of solid clay the papers and clothes are set to produce the mask. Then the masks
are rendered by the rubbing of khapi. The process is called. Mathamathi.

i)Matir Muha: Loam is prepared to render the initial sketch of the face including ear,eye,
nose, mouth. The loam is given a globular shape first then face and its part rendered. This
process is called Matir Muha. The Matir Mufta is dried to subject it to the next sub stage
Paper coated Mask.

ii) Paper coated Mask The charcoal ash is spread over on Matir muha / on the mask with
the help of old cloth. The flour is mixed with the copper sulphate to make a turbid liquid
and the papers are dipped lnto it, latter on the papers are rubbed slightly to make it stiff
so that the curve and the design of the mask can be easily visible. Then that stiff paper is
coated on the mask. This is called paper coating. The paper coated mask then is allowed
to dry under sun for two hours. Then the third sub stage Kabis lepon starts. It is
noteworthy that the paper should be coated with definite amount. It is not good to set too
many papers on the mask.

iii) Kabis Iepon: Thin paste of Pure clay is made .This is called Kabis. This mixture is applied on
the mask wrapped with paper to give the shape of a face. Different postures of the face are
minutely expressed by the magic figures of the artist. The next step is Mathamathi.

iv) Kapor satae and Mathamathi

The required piece of cotton cloth are dipped in the kabis and stuck on the mask, the facial
structure (eyes,nose)get emerged above. The facial expressions are made prominent with the
help of fingers and wooden thapi . Then it is kept under sun for 10 mins and polished with the
help of wooden thapi . Again it is kept under the sun for 10 mins and re polished with the help
of wooden thapi . To get instant result in this step, the mask is sun dried for few hours then the
clay soil is separated from the back of the mask. Normally, this process is done next day.
 Second step-Coloring

The mask is colored according to its character. Different colored clay are
used-Red clay, yellow clay and khari mathi. Tamarind seeds are powdered
and mixed with the colored clay before applying mask. The tamarind seed
used helps to make the color permanent.The first part is coloring but before
coloring a layer of khari mati is applied. Then the mask was colored
according to the requirement. The eyes of the mask are made by using hot
iron rod. This iron rod helps to make holes on the middle part of the eyes.
These holes help the chhau dancers to see while dancing. After coloring the
face, the body was colored. Different characters demands different colors:
For Durga the color is yellow, for Shiva the color is white, for Kartick the color
is slight red, for bhut mukhosh it is black, a distinct type of colored clay is
used for santhak. According to the expressing of the face, the forehead,
medium shaped crown, chin, the postures of the nose and eyes are also
colored. After coloring, Copal varnish is done.
 Third part -Decoration
The prepared mask is finally decorated by the women of the family or the
children after their school. Glass beads and colored feathers were used in the
previous days. Nowadays, due to lack of glass beads and colored feathers,
different types of plastic beads, colorful plastic feathers are used. These plastic
decorated materials are preheated to insert a metallic wire. Previously used
duck feather is not done recent times. Peacock feathers used in the mask are
brought from Kolkata. Decoration is the most important part of the mask.
Decorations gives fulfillment to the mask thus helps to impart perfection to the
performance.
 CONCLUSION:
My understanding of this craft
Since my childhood, I have heard my father talk about Chhau dance. Though I never
took a major interest in knowing the details of this art form. My father showed me a
video of this dance but it never intrigued me that much. But then in 2019 during the
Durga Puja, we happened to come across this dance form at our city in Jamshedpur.
Chhau dancers from Purulia had visited the city for a performance at a Puja pandal.
Out of all the dance forms I've seen till now, this one is one of the most unique and
one of the type. One thing which simply awestruck me was the large masks these
dancers were wearing. The beauty and magnetism of the Chhau dance definitely
depend on the dramatic details of the Chhau masks.It is really fascinating to see
them wearing such big masks and dance so flawlessly. The way these masks are
handcrafted is totally different from all kinds of masks we see around the world.
These are especially crafted for this dance form. The detailing of the mask is one of
the most important aspects as it is the main element of the costume. The artisans
from Charida put in a lot of efforts in the detailing of the Chhau mask, from colouring
to decorating it with various feathers and beads.
The origin of Chhau is somewhat obscure and perhaps lost in the realm of time.
These chhau masks are only made in this part of India and cannot be found in any
other part of the world. This tradition of performing the mythological stories through
a dance act is one of the most unique art of India. It is still prevailing in those parts of
India and have not lost its essence totally. It is performed during the various festival
times of the West bengal. People from neighboring villages and cities gather around
to watch the show.
The dance is usually performed on the ground or at the floor level as opposed to an
elevated stage. Although these days, Chhau dance is being performed at various
places as stage performances, the actual charm and magic of the dance can only be
understood when performed in their traditional stage.
The dance, as well as the art of mask making, was gradually going into oblivion
because of economic pressure and modernization. There was a decreased
participation in the grass root levels as the communities were disconnected from
their roots. But with the active zeal of a few people, Chhau dance and Chhau masks
are being revived.
In 2010 the Chhau dance was inscribed in the UNESCO’s Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Of late the Chhau masks are getting a lot of
attention. The Chhau masks have also been presented with the Geographical
Identification (GI) tag by the Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual
Property India along with other handicrafts like Dokra, Pattachitra and Madurkathi.

 References

CONTENT:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhau_mask
https://krishnakikhoj.wordpress.com/2018/11/12/ba
nglas-sholapith-mask-works/
https://www.taleof2backpackers.com/purulia-chhau-
dance-chhau-mask/
https://www.thehindu.com/society/the-mask-is-the-
pivotal-part-of-purulia-chhau/article33472537.ece
https://issuu.com/sampurnadas91/docs/craft_docu
ment_on_purulia_chhau

IMAGES:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/23985194@N06/9492
121161
https://shop.gaatha.com/Buy-handmade-chhau-
masks-from-bangal?limit=42
https://shop.gaatha.com/buy-online-handmade-
chhau-mask-from-bangal-I
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-many-
faces-of-purulia-masks/mgKyjtMD6J6BIQ
Thank You