Mayurbhanj Chhau’s fight to stay alive

Mayurbhanj Chhau artistes are eagerly looking forward to Chaitra Parva this year, when they will again showcase their much neglected martial dance form

Shyamhari Chakra

Much before many of India’s dance forms got global recognition, the unique martial Chhau dance of Mayurbhanj arrested the attention of the then British monarch and, subsequently, of international media.

In 1912, when George V and Queen Mary visited India, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo, the king of Mayurbhanj (now a district in Odisha), choreographed and presented ‘War Dance’ with 64 Chhau artistes from the palace troupe at the royal couple’s reception in Calcutta. A leading Indian newspaper described it as “a great spectacle.”

Nearly a 100 years later, in 2010, UNESCO added Chhau to its ‘Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’.

Despite such recognition, over the years the ancient unmasked martial dance tradition has been marginalised, with the government promoting Odissi as the main dance form of the State. Unfazed, Chhau practitioners continue to uphold the tradition with passion and devotion.

Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, bordering Bengal and Jharkhand and known for the Similipal biosphere, was ruled by the Bhanja dynasty from 7th century AD. Besides their good governance and vision for development, the rulers were also great patrons and connoisseurs of the arts. Chhau, which is believed to have derived its name from the chhauni or military camp, evolved from the mock fights and drills that used to be held to keep the soldiers battle-ready.