Chhau Dance (Purulia Chhau)

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Where Chhau Dance (Purulia Chhau) comes from

Purulia Chhau is one of three regional styles of the Chhau dance — alongside Seraikella in Jharkhand and Mayurbhanj in Odisha — and the only one of the three that is found entirely within West Bengal. The form is thought to have emerged as a syncretic blend of older martial traditions of the region with Hindu classical dance vocabulary, with stories drawn from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. Knowledge of choreography, music and mask-making is transmitted orally within hereditary performance communities of the Purulia region. In 2010 Chhau was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

How it's practiced

Troupes are traditionally all-male, and the dance is performed outdoors during the spring festival of Chaitra Parva and on the Sun festival in Purulia. Dancers wear elaborate hand-made masks that identify characters drawn from Shaiva, Shakta and Vaishnava mythology. Movements combine martial kicks, leaps and acrobatics with rhythmic footwork, accompanied by drums (dhol and dhak) and the dhumsa. Major troupes are concentrated around Bagmundi, Charida and the surrounding villages of Purulia district.