Chhau dance

What it is

Chhau is called semi-classical. It is a trained dance, yet it is not counted among India's classical forms, because it keeps its martial and folk roots. Performers build the body for combat-like movement, acrobatics and leaps, then use those skills to carry a story. The subjects may be religious, drawn from Shaiva, Shakta and Vaishnava worship, or they may come from folklore, local legend and abstract ideas. Purulia Chhau is also danced at the Sun festival. Audiences gather at night in the open, in a space known as the akhada or asar. Troupes are traditionally all male, and they perform for the whole community.

Origins and history

Nobody agrees on where the name comes from. Some trace it to the Sanskrit word chaya, meaning shadow, image or mask. Others point to chadma, disguise. The scholar Sitakant Mahapatra linked it to chhauni, an Odia word for a military camp, armour or stealth. The dance itself may be a blend, according to several accounts, of classical Hindu dance and the older customs of regional tribes. Dance historians note that Purulia Chhau grew out of earlier forms, among them Paika, Natua and Nachni, borrowing female gaits from Nachni. From the Natya Shastra came lasya, the tender quality, while the forceful male side is compared to Shiva's tandava.

Three regional styles

Where the dance is practised shapes its character. Purulia, in West Bengal, uses large masks built as the character, and a dancer may move on all fours for an animal role. Seraikella, in Jharkhand, wears symbolic masks, and the acting tells the audience which figure is being played; its technique and repertoire were once developed by the region's nobility, who both danced and choreographed, while today performers come from every background. Mayurbhanj, in Odisha, does without masks in the dance and is technically close to the Seraikella style. In northern Odisha, masks appear only when the artists first step on stage to greet the audience.

Music, masks and making

Music comes from the mohuri, a reed pipe, and the shehnai, with drums behind them: the dhol, a cylinder-shaped drum, the dhumsa, a large kettle drum, and the kharka, also called chad-chadi. Purulia masks are the work of the Sutradhar community of potters who also make clay images of gods and goddesses. Their masks are built up from many layers of soft paper and glue over a mud mould, with clay features, then dried, separated, drilled, painted and decorated. The Purulia mask holds a Geographical Indication, a form of official protection for a product tied to its home place.

Training and recognition

Chhau knowledge passes by word of mouth rather than through written manuals: dance, music and mask-making all travel from teacher to student. Governments and academies have added their support. Odisha opened a Chhau dance centre at Seraikela in 1960 and a training institute for the Mayurbhanj style at Baripada in 1962; the Sangeet Natak Akademi later set up a national centre for the dance at Baripada. State funds help pay for the Chaitra Parva festival. In 2010 UNESCO added Chhau to its list of intangible cultural heritage. Purulia Chhau has appeared in the Hindi film Barfi!, and a Kolkata cultural body made a documentary about it.

How Chhau dance is kept

Villagers and townspeople gather after dark in an open ground, the akhada or asar. A troupe of male dancers takes the space, accompanied by reed pipes and drums. In Purulia and Seraikella the dancers put on masks before entering, each mask showing a role; in Mayurbhanj the bare face works with the body. The pieces run from mock combat, called khel, through the walks of birds and animals, called chalis and topkas, to small movements copied from women's household chores, called uflis. Between pieces come stories from the epics and the Puranas. The evening belongs to everyone present: patrons, neighbours and the families of the performers.

When and where

Chhau belongs to the spring. It is danced above all at Chaitra Parva, a festival that draws the whole community, and Purulia's style is also performed at the Sun festival. Traditionally the dance is held in mid-March, when one farming cycle closes and the next opens.

The dance belongs to three neighbouring states of eastern India: West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. Each of its three styles takes its name from its home area, Purulia, Seraikella and Mayurbhanj. Training centres and a national centre keep it going at Baripada, and the eastern region's cultural bodies stage and film it.

What Chhau dance means

For many who keep Chhau, the dance carries devotion as well as entertainment. Its religious pieces come from Shaiva, Shakta and Vaishnava traditions, and the epic scenes tell of gods and heroes. One writer on the masked styles, Mohan Khokar, argued that these particular forms have no ceremonial or ritual purpose and stand as community celebration instead. Yet the gathering itself matters: Chhau brings together people of different means and backgrounds in the same open ground, on the same festival night.

Questions people ask about Chhau dance

See also

DhrupadThe foundational vocal and instrumental classical music tradition of northern IndiaBihu danceA folk dance from Assam that celebrates spring, fertility and the new year with energetic movement and music.BhangraA Punjabi harvest dance, first kept by farmers and now performed worldwideNowruzThe Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnics

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• Film ReviewMint, Article
• Film ReviewMint, Article

• Chhau on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.