THE ASTONISHING BEAUTY OF CHHAU MASK: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE TRADITIONAL FOLK ART OF CHARIDA VILLAGE OF PURULIA DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL

Bengal, a land of beauty and prosperity in its cultural ancestry. The tradition is enriched by diverse folk art of various tribes and ethnic groups creating the uniqueness. Music, dance have great importance for recreational, aesthetic and cultural aspect of the state. The cultural background, social value and structure, history, religion and mythological concept are also reflected by the traditional folk art. Different types of folk art are found in West Bengal. Among them, Patachitra and Madhubani are respectively the traditional style of painting, characterized by their mythological stories and intricate designs. The other folk arts with great traditional significance are the embroidery art locally called, Kantha and metal casting technique based Dokra. The Chhau Mask making art is one of them important traditional folk art, essential for the age old Chhau dance. The present paper is empirical and qualitative in nature, mainly focused on the traditional folk art of Chhau Mask, an integral part of Chhau dance, of Charida village, its making procedure and people associated with the mask making economy.