Charida Chhau Mask Village

Charida Chhau Mask Village is a renowned artisan village located in Baghmundi block of Purulia district, West Bengal, at the foothills of the Ayodhya Hills. The village is home to around 300 families of traditional Chhau mask makers who craft vibrant papier-mâché masks used in Purulia Chhau dance. Recognized for preserving this UNESCO-listed heritage art form, Charida offers visitors direct interaction with artisans, workshops, and colorful mask displays lining the village street.

Visitors can expect a small rural village street lined on both sides with workshops and small shops displaying large, colorful Chhau masks of mythological characters, animals and demons. Artisans can be seen making masks from papier-mâché, clay, cloth and paint in open studios. Visitors can observe the crafting process, interact with mask makers, photograph displays, and purchase masks and handicrafts directly from artisans. The setting is rural with simple houses, unpaved lanes and views of the Ayodhya Hills nearby.

Charida has been the traditional centre of Purulia Chhau mask making for over 150 years. The craft was developed to supply masks for Purulia Chhau dance, a semi-martial dance form with origins in the eastern Indian states of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. The tradition has been passed down through generations of Sutradhar artisan families.

Charida is the epicentre of the Chhau mask craft associated with Purulia Chhau dance, which was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. The masks represent characters from Hindu epics, mythology and folklore and are integral to the cultural identity of Purulia. The village is promoted by West Bengal tourism as Mukhos Gram (Mask Village) for heritage and rural tourism.