Chhau Dance & Performing Arts

One of the most grandeur forms among Indian dances is undoubtedly the Chhau dance. EXIN IIP (Indian Institute of Professionals) which excels in providing formal education in professional courses like ‘Performing Arts’, brings for you the history of this splendid dance form.

The literal meaning of the word is debated, but mostly it is thought to be one among these two – according to Sanskrit language, the word Chhau is derived from the word Chaya (shadow, image or mask), but according to Indian poet and literary critic Sitakant Mahapatra, it is derived from Chhauni (Military camp).

There are three subgenres of the dance, based on its places of origin and development, Seraikella Chhau, Mayurbhanj Chhau and Purulia Chhau. The Chhau dance is mainly performed during regional festivals, especially the spring festival of Chaitra Parva which lasts for 13 days and in which the whole community participates. The Chhau blends together forms of both dance and martial practices employing mock combat techniques (khel), stylized gaits of birds and animals (chalis and topkas) and movements based on the chores of village housewives (called uflis).The Chhau dance is mainly performed by the Munda, Mahato, Kalindi, Pattnaik, Samal, Daroga, Mohanty, Acharya, Bhol, Kar, Dubey, and Sahoo communities.

Masks form an integral part of Chhau Dance in Purulia and Seraikella where the craft of mask-making is undertaken by communities of traditional painters known as Maharanas, Mohapatras and Sutradhars. The knowledge of dance, music and mask-making is transmitted orally.

In 2010, the Chhau dance was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.