Purulia Chhau | 17 Feb 2024

Purulia Chhau, a folk dance, was recently performed in Kozhikode, Kerala.

The Chhau is a semi-classical dance form from Eastern India which has tribal and folk origins. The performances range from acrobatic to martial and also include dances which are structured around religious themes.
The name Purulia Chau comes from the district of Purulia in Bengal which is a Chhau stronghold. It represents one of the three distinct styles of Chhau dance, the other two being Seraikella Chhau from Jharkhand and Mayurbhanj Chhau from Odisha.
- The costumes vary between the styles, with Purulia and Serakeilla using masks to identify the characters.
It was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO in 2010.