Chhau dance, also spelled Chhou dance, is a semi classical

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the ''Purulia Chhau'' of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

, the ''Seraikella Chhau'' of

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...

and the ''Mayurbhanj Chhau'' of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

. The dance ranges from celebrating

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...

acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acr ...

and athletics performed in festive themes of a folk dance, to a structured dance with religious themes found in

Shaivism Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...

Shaktism Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, al ...

and

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as ...

. 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 The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

'' and the ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

'', the

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

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.

Etymology

Chhau is a dance style originating from the regions of

East India East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magad ...

. It may have been derived from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

''Chāya'' (shadow, image or mask). Others link it to the Sanskrit root ''Chadma'' (disguise), yet others such as Sitakant Mahapatra suggest it is derived from ''Chhauni'' (military camp, armor, stealth) in Odia language. Claus, p. 109 Chhau dancer

Features of Chhau

Durga with Lion - Mahisasuramardini - Chhau Dance - Royal Chhau Academy - Science City - Kolkata 2014-02-13 9127

The Chhau dance is mainly performed during festivals in the region of

and

, especially the spring festival of

Chaitra Chaitra (Hindi: चैत्र) is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Ch ...

Parva and in which the whole community participates. The Purulia Chhau dance is celebrated during the Sun festival.

Masks form an integral part of Chhau dance in Purulia and Seraikella styles. The knowledge of dance, music and mask-making is transmitted orally. The Chhau dance found in northern Odisha does not use mask during the dance, but they do when the artists first appear on the stage for introduction to the audience. The two styles of Chhau dance that use masks, blend within it forms of both dance and martial practices employing mock combat techniques (called ''khel''), stylized gaits of birds and animals (called ''chalis'' and ''topkas'') and movements based on the chores of village housewives (called ''uflis''). This form of the Chhau dance, states Mohan Khokar, has no ritual or ceremonial meaning, it is a form of community celebration and entertainment. The dance is performed by male dancers, at night in an open space, called ''akhada'' or ''asar''. The dance is rhythmic and set to traditional folk music, played on the reed pipes ''mohuri'' and

shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end.dhol (a cylindrical drum), ''dhumsa'' (a large kettle drum) and ''kharka'' or ''chad-chadi''. The themes for these dances include local legends, folklore and episodes from the ''

'' and ''

'' and other abstract themes.Chhau dance
UNESCO, Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity The precursors of Chhau dance (especially Purulia style) were not only ''Paika'' and Natua, but ''Nachni'' dance also played an important role in giving Chhau its present identity. Chhau dance borrows the female gaits and movements from the ''Nachni'' dance almost exclusively (Bhattacharya, 1983, Chakravarti, 2001, Kishore, 1985). The female dance elements in Chhau introduced the aspects of ''Lasya Bhava'' from the Natya Shastra that brought elegance, sensuality, and beauty in the dance form, whereas, the virile male dance movement is attributed to the Shiva's ''tandava'' style of dance (Bose 1991). There are different interpretations to ''tandava'' and ''lasya''. I have above-mentioned the most commonly accepted definition of ''tandava'' and ''lasya'' above. Bose foregrounds the debate between the relation of ''lasya'' and ''tandava'' critically in his analysis of dance in Sanskrit texts. See Bose, Mandakranta.

Three styles of Chhau

Ileana Citaristi performing Mayurbhanj Chhau

The Seraikella Chhau developed in Seraikela, when it was under the rule of Kalinga's Gajapati Rule the present day administrative headquarters of the Seraikela Kharsawan district of

, the Purulia Chhau in Purulia district of

and the Mayurbhanj Chhau in

Mayurbhanj district Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts in Odisha state in eastern India. It is the largest district of Odisha by area. Its headquarters are at Baripada. Other major towns are Rairangpur, Karanjia and Udala. , it is the third-most-popu ...

. The most prominent difference among the three subgenres is regarding the use of masks. While, the Seraikela and Purulia subgenres of Chhau use masks during the dance, the Mayurbhanj Chhau uses none. Claus, p. 110 The Seraikella Chhau's technique and repertoire were developed by the erstwhile nobility of this region who were both its performers and choreographers, and in the modern era people from all backgrounds dance it. The Seraikella Chhau is performed with symbolic masks, and the acting establishes the role the actor is playing. The Purulia Chhau uses extensive masks shaped in the form of the character being played; for example, a lion character has a face mask of lion and body costumes too with the actor walking on all fours. These masks are crafted by potters who make clay images of Hindu gods and goddesses and is primarily sourced from the Purulia district of West Bengal. In the Mayurbhanj Chhau is performed without masks and is technically similar to the Seraikella Chhau.

Recognition

In 2010, the Chhau dance was inscribed in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The

Government of Odisha The government of the Indian state of Odisha and its 30 districts consists of an executive, led by the Governor of Odisha, a judiciary, and a legislative branch. Like other states in India, the head of state of Odisha is the Governor, appoi ...

established the Government Chhau Dance Centre in 1960 in Seraikella and the Mayurbhanj Chhau Nritya Pratisthan at

Baripada Baripada () is a city and a municipality in Mayurbhanj district in the state of Odisha, India. Located along the east bank of the Budhabalanga river, Baripada is the cultural centre of north Odisha. In recent years, it has emerged as an educ ...

in 1962. These institutions engage in training involving local gurus, artists, patrons and representatives of Chhau institutions and sponsor performances. The Chaitra Parva festival, significant to the Chhau Dance, is also sponsored by the state government. The Sangeet Natak Akademi has established a National Centre for Chhau Dance at

In popular culture

The

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

Barfi! has several scenes that features the Purulia Chhau in it.

Chhau mask

Purulia Chhau Dance is listed on

's world heritage list of dances. The main difference between the Purulia Chhau and Mayurbhanj Chhau is in the use of the mask. Purulia Chhau uses masks in dance, but Mayurbhanj Chhau does not have masks thereby adding facial expression with body movements and gestures. Traditionally, the chhau dance is held during mid-march when one agricultural circle ends and a new circle begins. Purulia Chhau dancers wear the earthy and theatrical mask which represent the mythological characters. After making the shape of mask with clay, it is coloured and decorated with Shola and other things. Chhau Mask of West Bengal in Indian Stamp

Chhau Mask of West Bengal in Indian Stamp

The Chhau mask of

Purulia Purulia is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Purulia district. It is located on the north of the Kangsabati River. Geography Location Purulia is located at . It has an average elev ...

is registered under Geographical Indications. As the basic difference of Purulia Chhau the mask is unique and traditional. Making Chau Mask

These chhau masks are made by the artists by the ''Sutradhar community''. The making of a mask goes through various stages. 8-10 layers of soft paper, immersed in diluted glue, are pasted one after another on the mould before the mud mould is dusted with fine ash powder. The facial features are made of clay. A special layer of mud and cloth is applied and the mask is then sun-dried. After this, the mould is polished and the second round of sun drying is done before separating the layers of cloth and paper from the mould. After finishing and drilling of holes for the nose and eyes, the mask is colored and decorated.

Gallery

File:Chhau Nritya (2).jpg, Chhau dance artist-female File:Chhau Nritya (3).jpg, Chhau dance artist-male File:Chhau Nritya (4).jpg, Chhau dance artist-male File:Chhau Nritya (5).jpg, Chhau dance artists File:Chhau Nritya (6).jpg, Chhau dance artist File:Chhau Dancers.jpg, Chhau dancers in a village of Jharkhand File:Chhau dancer demon mask.jpg, Chhau dancer with demon mask performing at night File:Traditional chhau dancer.jpg, A chhau dancer performing among the villagers in Jharkhand File:Mayurbhanj Chhau music troupe performing.jpg, A Mayurbhanj Chhau music troupe performing

References

External links

Chhau dance: Spandan
Shiva themes, Carolina Prada (2013)

Mauyrbhanj district website with information on Chhau

Saraikela Kharsawan district website with information on Chhau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chhau Dance Dances of India Folk dances of Jharkhand Indian folk dances Odia culture Culture of West Bengal Culture of Jharkhand Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Cultural heritage of India Articles containing video clips War dances Purulia Folk dances of West Bengal Folk dances of Odisha