Charida Village The Village of Chhau Mask Makers in Purulia
Charida Village Purulia: Chhau dance is a famous folk dance performed by the tribals of Purulia. It belongs to a genre of martial dance. A Chhau dancer wears colorful masks and these ‘Chhau Masks‘ are made by skilled artisans of Charida village.
All the masks are made for the Chhau dance of Charida village. The Chhau dance of Purulia is famous all over the world. This quaint village of red clay land is situated at the picturesque foothills of the Ayodhya Hills, about 5 km from Bagmundi.
Hundreds of families in ‘Mukhosh Gram’ have been making these Chhau masks for generations to earn their bread and butter.
Purulia is the culturally richest district of West Bengal. The main attraction of the spring festival known as Chaitra Porob held here is still the Chhau dance. Although the festival lasts for about 13 days. Tribal dancers here practice throughout the year.
Charida Village – Purulia Chhau dancers mostly come from families in the local community. This form of dance requires a lot of physical strength and agility. Dancers are trained in this form from a very young age.
Chhau Nitya is an integral part of customs and rituals in this region of Bengal. This form of dance is famous for its colorful costumes and masks. A few villages in the Purulia district are completely devoted to this dance form and earn their livelihood from it.
Charida is a village of artisans who have been doing this work for generations. About twenty-two and a half artisan families are involved in this industry of mask making.
These masks are generally used by chou Nitya artists. The masks are so beautiful that people often buy them to take home as souvenirs. These faces are actually a work of art. About 250 artisans are involved in this industry and it is their livelihood.
Nearby places to visit:
- Bamni Falls: – 7kms – You need to walk down hilly steps through a forest to reach the bottom of the fall, a lifetime experience
- Pakhi Pahar (Murra Buru Hill): – 20Kms
- Mukutmanipur – 125 Kms
- Bishnupur – 160 Kms
Once you visit this village you can see how these colorful masks are made. You can buy this type of face mask as a souvenir of your Purulia trip.
The tradition of making Mukhosh started about 150 years ago during the reign of King Mansingh of Bagmundi. These masks depict animals and characters from epics.
Paper clay and clay are used to make masks. The decorations are mostly made of plastic feathers and beads. Lace glitter is used. The mask has wide eyes and thick facial hair made of jute.
