Watching Chhau: Three Styles, Different Uses of the Mask
Lalkila articles · Art and crafts · Dance · History and heritage · India · Jharkhand · West Bengal · Odisha
Ask which Chhau you are watching
A mask can be the first thing a viewer notices in a Chhau photograph, but it is not a definition of every Chhau performance. UNESCO’s account distinguishes Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj styles. The first two use masks; Mayurbhanj provides a reason to look beyond that single visual association.
The account describes stories from epics, local folklore and abstract themes, with movement connected to martial practices and other embodied actions. Chhau was inscribed on UNESCO’s representative list in 2010. Recognition is a starting reference, not a substitute for naming the troupe you actually see.
Listen as well as look
Before a performance, find the style, the troupe’s name and the title or subject of the piece. During it, notice changes in movement, rhythm and the relationship between dancers and musicians. Ask how a change in pace alters what you understand, rather than trying to identify every gesture immediately.
For a family viewing a recording, choose a complete piece with reliable credits instead of a few seconds stripped from a social feed. Pause afterwards to compare what different viewers noticed. One may have followed a story while another heard an instrumental pattern. Both observations can lead to better questions.
Credit the people behind the object
A decorative mask in a shop and a mask made for performance need separate descriptions. Ask about maker, material, intended use and the particular style associated with it. Do not assign an identity or sacred meaning simply because the colours resemble a photograph.
When sharing a programme abroad, credit musicians, dancers, mask makers and teachers where the organiser provides their names. Leave out guesses. This keeps the attention on a living practice and the people sustaining it, rather than treating one object as a portable summary of eastern India.
Explore Lalkila.com
At Lalkila.com, readers can move between articles, books and decorative crafts. Use product descriptions to establish what an object is; a decorative purchase does not carry a performance tradition’s provenance by appearance alone.
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Sources
Featured image: a generated editorial illustration, not a historical photograph, a named museum object or evidence of product origin.