Mayurbhanj Seraikela Chhau Mask Dance Odisha Jharkhand

Chhau is a semi-classical martial dance tradition of the Jharkhand-Odisha-West Bengal tri-junction performed in three distinct regional schools: Mayurbhanj Chhau (Odisha) performed without masks and emphasising acrobatic warrior movements, Seraikela Chhau (Jharkhand) performed with lyrical painted papier-mache masks representing mythological characters, and Purulia Chhau (West Bengal) performed with bold dramatic masks at the Chaitra Parva festival. The dance draws from Shaiva martial arts (chhau means shadow, blow, or soldier in Odia), invokes themes from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranic stories, and involves athletic leaps, spinning, and floor-level balancing that require years of physical training from childhood. Chhau was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010. Seraikela's mask-making tradition in Ranchi and Seraikela produces papier-mache masks with specific iconographic colours, eye shapes, and crown types that identify each character (gold for divine, green for demons, blue for Krishna). Mayurbhanj's royal family historically patronised the unmasked form and the Mayurbhanj Chhau Kendras now train performers for national folk dance competitions.