Charida is a village in Purulia District of 308 skilled Chhau Mask makers, located at the scenic foothills of the Ayodhya Hills, about 5 km from Baghmundi.
The tradition of Chau mask making started in Charida about 150 years back during the rule of King Madan Mohan Singh Deo of Baghmundi. The Chau Mask has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag . The vibrant, colourful and elaborate masks convey the vigorous intent of the art form that portrays animals or characters from the epics, mythological characters such as Mahishasur-Mardini, Rama-Sita, the fight of Rama and Rabana etc. One can experience the tedious task of making the elaborate masks from scratch directly from the artists.
Chhau masks are made by artists from the Sutradhar community. The making of a mask goes through various stages. 8–10 layers of soft paper, immersed in diluted glue, are pasted one after another on the mould before the mud mould is dusted with fine ash powder. The facial features are made of clay. A special layer of mud and cloth is applied and the mask is then sun-dried. After this, the mold is polished and a second round of sun drying is done before separating the layers of cloth and paper from the mold. After finishing and drilling of holes for the nose and eyes, the mask is colored and decorated.
A Rural Craft Hub has been developed at Charida by Government of West Bengal's Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises & Textiles, in association with UNESCO.
Chhau masks are made by artists from the Sutradhar community. The making of a mask goes through various stages. 8–10 layers of soft paper, immersed in diluted glue, are pasted one after another on the mould before the mud mould is dusted with fine ash powder. The facial features are made of clay. A special layer of mud and cloth is applied and the mask is then sun-dried. After this, the mold is polished and a second round of sun drying is done before separating the layers of cloth and paper from the mold. After finishing and drilling of holes for the nose and eyes, the mask is colored and decorated.
A Rural Craft Hub has been developed at Charida by Government of West Bengal's Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises & Textiles, in association with UNESCO.
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