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Wooden Kali Mask of Kushmandi
Artist from Dakshin Dinajpur2019
Banglanatak
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
This is a typical wooden mask of Kali made by the craftspersons of Kushmandi (Dakshin Dinajpur), which is a hub of traditional wooden mask-makers in Bengal. These brightly coloured wooden masks are customarily associated with an ancient local dance form of Dinajpur area called Gomira, still practised today. Gomira mask dances are performed to call in the good forces and drive out the evil. In Gomira dance, the characters represented by the masks they wear, include various local manifestations of deity of 'Shakti' (strength). Among them are various forms of Goddess Kali, such as Samsan Kali and Masan Kali.
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Details
- Title: Wooden Kali Mask of Kushmandi
- Creator: Artist from Dakshin Dinajpur
- Date Created: 2019
- Location: Dinajpur districts
- Subject Keywords: Crafts, Wooden Mask, Craftspersons, Artists, Bengal, Kushmandi
- Rights: Banglanatak.com
- Medium: Wood carving and acrylic colour
- About the craft: Wooden Masks (locally known as 'Mukha') of Dinajpur districts of West Bengal are traditionally objects of worship and devotion, associated with local dance form, Gomira, unique to the Rajbangshi community. The wood-crafted Gomira masks represent various characters of the two distinct forms of the dance - the Gomira dance and Ramer Bonobas. The word Gomira comes from the word ‘Gramchadi’ (representing local deity of 'Shakti'), and their masks represent different forms of Kali as well, among other gods and goddesses. This mask-dance tradition emerged from the animistic practices of the Desi and Poli communities of the Rajbangshis who constitute the largest native community of North Bengal. These Gomira masks, apart from being used in Gomira dance are also pledged to the different deities worshipped locally. During the past few decades, Gomira masks have evolved into a coveted collectors' item and therefore artists are now making diversified products. Kushmandi, a major hub of these mask-makers in Dakshin Dinajpur has a GI status.
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