Purulia is a pied panorama of nature, people, culture and heritage. It is the land of the spectacular Chau dance inscribed in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. Chau is a colorful, martial mask dance of eastern India. Nearly 180 families of Chau mask makers live in Charida village. This has evolved as a major Tourism destination for art lovers, both for workshop/ demonstration and also to procure souvenirs/ gifts directly from the source. They hold the annual mela in winter also. Charida also holds the Geographical Indication (GI) for the Chau Mask art form.Chau Mask Mela will be held at Charida, Purulia on March 9-11, 2023. Know More »
Nearest railway station is Barabhum or Purulia. Charida is 36 Kms away from Barabhum station. It is about 7 hours drive from Kolkata.
Pakbirrah (Puncha Block) is the largest and the main centre of Jain art. It is also called the archaeological museum of Purulia. A huge collection of ...
The temples built by the Jains between 9th-11th century are of Rekh Style. Mostly unknown to the outside world, these temples are made up of stone or ...
Kashipur palace is one of the most attractive architectures of Purulia. It was built in 1916 at Kashipur (Kashipur Block), the capital of the state of...
Among the temples and sculptures that date back to the Pal (750 A.D to 1155 A.D) and Sen (1095 A.D to 1225 A.D) dynasties, few stand intact in Deulgha...
Khairabera which is about 20 kms from Charida is an irrigation dam is in the midst of hills and forest which offers a panoramic view.
The technological wonder of the PPSP dam, which is the Purulia Pump Storage project, is worth a visit. It is one of the largest projects in India with...
The Bird’s Hill or ‘Pakhi Pahar' draws rock climbing enthusiasts. The hill has been painstakingly sculpted by a group of artists to create about 6...
Ayodhya Hills is approximately 15 kms from the village. The hills on the boundary of Purulia and Jharkhand are a part of the Dalma Mountain Range and ...
Situated on Subarnarekha River, this dam adds beauty to the nature. There is also a museum nearby. This is also a confluence point of Subarnarekha and...
One can go on their own and stay at their own choice. Possible nearby simple stay arrangement at 1) Aanglna in Charida Village (Pinaki: 9732057183). 2) Balarampur Chau Resource Centre (Prabir Banerjee:9647500705 ). 3) Nimdih Gandhi Ashram. (Moumita: 8420106396).
Purulia is a pied panorama of nature, people, culture and heritage. It is the land of the spectacular Chau dance inscribed in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. Chau is a colorful, martial mask dance of eastern India. Nearly 180 families of Chau mask makers live in Charida … Continue reading “Charida”
View DetailsThe artists in Charida have formed a collective called Chau Mukhosh Shilpi Sangha. There is a resource centre at Charida also. The resource centre has a workshop space in the ground floor. The village has shops from where Chau Masks can be purchased.
Chau dance is believed to be over a century old practice. It is the lifestyle art form of this area. The lives of the bearers of this tradition have been intrinsically linked with the jungles they dwelled. With time and an ever changing landscape where human habitations took over the jungles, the dance form went through the crisis of the changing context. Nuances of the dance form like tiger, monkey or deer dance steps were almost forgotten. Thankfully, the efforts of the local exponents have achieved the desired results of reviving the lost traditions. Chau Masks of Charida have been witness to this crisis and evolution. Traditionally the masks mainly portrayed mythological figures like goddess Durga, Ganesh and Demons. They also depicted animal and bird heads like peacock, tiger, monkey, lion etc. But these days they are also creating home décor and lifestyle items.
