Charida

Charida is a village of 308 skilled mask makers of the celebrated acrobatic dance form of Purulia, Chau dance. This quaint village in the land of red soil is located at the scenic foothills of the Ayodhya Hills, about 5 km from Baghmundi.

The Chau Mask has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag . The vibrant, colourful and elaborate masks convey the vigorous intent of the art form that portrays animals or characters from the epics. One can experience the tedious task of making the elaborate masks from scratch directly from the artists.

Charida is a village of 308 skilled mask makers of the celebrated dance form of the region, Chau dance. It is an acrobatic martial art based dance form inscribed in UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This quaint village in the land of red soil is located at the scenic foothills of the Ayodhya Hills, about 5 km from Baghmundi.

The tradition of Chau mask making started in Charida about 150 years back during the rule of King Madan Mohan Singh Deo of Baghmundi. The Chau Mask has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag . The vibrant, colourful and elaborate masks convey the vigorous intent of the art form that portrays animals or characters from the epics. One can experience the tedious task of making the elaborate masks from scratch directly from the artists.

A Rural Craft Hub has been developed at Charida by Government of West Bengal's Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises & Textiles, in association with UNESCO.

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers