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Communiy Museum of Chau Masks in Charida
2019
Banglanatak
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
The mask-makers who make masks for the Chau dancers reside in Charida village, in Purulia. Mask-making is an industry by itself as it is a very specialized craft pursued by the artists of Charida for generations. They have a community museum of different types of Chau masks that show their variety and evolution in design and materials used for mask-making.
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Details
- Title: Communiy Museum of Chau Masks in Charida
- Date Created: 2019
- Location: Purulia
- Subject Keywords: Chau, Dance, Tribal, Purulia, Artists, Bengal, Festival, Mask Dance, Masks, UNESCO, ICH
- Rights: Banglanatak.com
- About the craft: Chau is an acrobatic mask dance form from Purulia district of West Bengal. Colourful masks, rhythmic drum beats, powerful acrobatic movements and somersaults are characteristics of the Purulia Chau. The traditional dance is performed at open spaces at the rhythm of various kinds of traditional musical instruments that include Dhol, Dhamsa, Charchari, Tikra and Nagara, Mahuri, Sanai and Flute. The stories are traditionally based on mythological tales. The dancers wear colourful masks representing particular gods, goddesses, demons, monsters and various animals such as lion, tiger, bear, monkey, etc. Chau Dance features on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity.
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