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The Seraikella Chau is one of the three rare
mask traditions, which received royal patronage and active participation
by the learned members of the royal family. This has nearly transformed
or metamorphosed the form of this dance from the tribal to almost
a highly refined 'classical' dance form. One of the royal members
with his choreographic genius introduced highly suggestive themes
and stylized body language that matched the poet's imagination.
Today the repertoire can boast one of the widest range of subjects
that may draw inspiration from birds, animals, divine beings
or even common people from our daily life like a fisherman or
a hunter or a boatman. Remarkably enough it can also depict phenomenon
like the night in a most poetic manner. The suggestive narratives
with the unique body kinetics convey the deeper allegorical meanings
that echo a higher philosophy of life.
Kali Nach is performed in West Bengal, in
honor of Goddess Kali. The performer wears a mask, purified by
mantras; dances with a sword, and makes prophetic proclamations.
Gambhira is a solo mask dance, confined to the district Maldah,
West Bengal. The mask, made of a special sacred wood, requires
great physical efforts to carry on the face. The characters represent
Puranic (from the Puranas - ancient Hindu religious text) deities
like lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Goddess Kali, with loud
beats of drums during the Gajan festival.
Mukha Kheil (mask play) is prevalent in the
Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal among local Rajvamshis (royals).
The dance is thematic and is based on the Hindu epic, Ramayana.
The masks are made of wood in Tibetan style. Some of the best
examples of masks from Bengal come from the jungle Rabhas in
Jalpaiguri district. There are three types of masks - each has
a distinct name, is made of a different material, and represents
a particular character: Char-gog, the mask of the goddess Chandi,
is made of bamboo strips. The mask is used in the religious dance
performed following Kali Puja. After the performance, the mask
is cut into pieces and thrown in the river for fear of incurring
the displeasure of the goddess. Char-pagal is made of wood in
the form of a human face and is also used during Kali Puja. Maper-char
is made of gourd shell, with the face of a bear painted on the
upper surface.
The Satriya dance, ascribed to the Vaishnava
movement in Assam during 15th to 17th century A.D., is one of
the most interesting dance forms of India. The Satriya dance
is an enduring tradition pursued and preserved in the Satra institutions,
another hallmark of the Vaishnava movement. This mask dance drama
is mostly based on religious stories related to the life of lord
Krishna. Some of the life size Satriya masks measure about ten
feet in height. Others represent both head and face masks. The
masks have the inner core in bamboo strips covered by threads
of cane with the coating of cow dung, clay, cloth and paper.
The images are then painted with vegetable pigments.
Ankia Nat is a type of one act folk play of
Assam, using big masks of demons, animals, gods and goddesses
made of bamboo. Heights of these masks reach up to the waist
and can be as tall as 15 feet, and need several actors to manipulate
them. Actors enter into the masks and rest the masks on their
shoulder. Since the masks are very heavy and not very mobile
in nature, the characters that these masks depict are generally
demons or snakes, which have very limited movements.
The Shahi Jatra (royal procession) of Orissa
presents different episodes from the Ramayana during the spring
season, for a week. Actors, wearing huge wooden masks and gorgeous
costumes, walk on the streets with stylized gait and mime with
accompaniment of loud drumming. Desianata of Koraput, Orissa,
also uses masks for representing gods, goddesses, animals, birds
and demons. Themes, again, are taken from Ramayana.
Padayani or Padeni, is one of the most colorful
and spectacular folk arts associated with the festivals of certain
temples in southern Kerala (Aleppy, Quilon, Pathanamthitta, and
Kottayam districts). The word Padayani literally means military
formations or rows of army, but this folk art mainly involves
a series of divine and semi-divine impersonations wearing huge
masks or kolams of different shapes, colors and designs, painted
on the stalks of areca nut fronds. The most important of the
kolams usually presented in a Padayani performance are Bhairavi
(Kali), Kalan (god of death), Yakshi (fairy) and Pakshi (bird),
among others. The Kolam (mask) consists primarily of a huge headgear
with many projections and devices with a mask for the face or
a chest piece to cover the breast and abdomen of the performer.
Krishnattam, the ritualistic dance-drama of
Kerala, is a cycle of eight plays, depicting the tales of Krishna
from his birth to his death. It is performed in the Koothambalam
(dance stage of the temple) of the Krishna temple in Guruvayoor,
Kerala and involves the use of varied and colorful facial make-up
and larger-than-life masks, made of lightwood and cloth padding.
This dance form is based on the 17th century Krishnageethi, and
is staged for eight nights till dawn.
Kummattikkali is a popular dance form in the
northern districts of Kerala. The dancers move from house to
house in painted wooden masks and sport springs of leaves and
grass. This form has a popular masked character Thulla (witch),
besides various Hindu gods and goddesses. The Mannan community
of South Malabar, Kerala, propitiates the goddess Kali and performs
Poothanam Thirayam. A troupe of dancers dresses up as Kali and
the accompanying Poothanams (spirits) for the destruction of
the evil Darikan. The dance is staged in front of houses and
village shrines, between November and May. The Tirayattam and
Bhoota dance forms of Kerala use beautiful wooden masks for deity-characters.
Among the older mask traditions of south India
those of the Bhuta tribe of Karnataka are notable. So also is
the Kathakali, from Kerala, which, though is not a mask dance,
does involve distinctive dramatic facial coloring meant for the
transformation of human dancer-actors into suras (gods) and asuras
(demons) and other mythological characters. The heavy facial
coloring almost makes the performers look as if they are wearing
masks.
In Gujarat and Maharashtra, masks are very
popular among the Kukana and Warli tribes. They usually portray
animals, birds, gods and goddesses, as well as demons and ghosts,
and are generally employed in dances and dramas on religious
or mythological themes. During the festivals of Holi and Diwali,
tribal artists organize mask-shows. The popular mask of Ravana,
the demon king and villain in the Ramayana, has an arch-shaped
framework of bamboo strips decorated with multicolored paper,
with the ten colorful clay or papier mache heads affixed across
the bottom of the arch. Painting of the masks is not merely to
enrich their appearance but is a means by which the spirit of
that character is infused into the mask, bringing it to life.
MASKS FROM BUDDHISM
Masks are studded in the life and rituals
of all monasteries in the Himalayan range encompassing Tibet,
Ladakh, Bhutan and Sikkim. Mask dances are the part of religious
and cultural traditions and the holy scripts, which date back
to the 8th century A.D. India's close neighbor, Bhutan, has fearful
masks of animal spirits, which are codified, with very high aesthetic
connotations of color and shape. The Mahayana tradition of Buddhism
survives only in this country.
The Tibetan monks practice the religious Chham
dance with great fervor. The Chham dance can take many forms
but one of its most popular themes is commemoration of Padmasambhava.
The mask dance usually consists of two parts: the first honors
and pays homage to the eight aspects of Padmasambhava. The
second part of the performance shows Maha Dongcren, a horned
masked
figure, slaying the demonic force. The Chham Dance is performed
in the courtyard of monasteries by the Buddhist Lamas residing
in the monasteries of Lahaul and Spiti, Ladakh, and Kinnaur.
The main theme of this dance deals with propitiating the deity,
killing the evil king and protecting the people from the wrath
of natural calamities, diseases and epidemics and ensuring
health, happiness and prosperity for the people of the area.
The Lamas,
dance in slow, circular movements with big, colorful masks
and grotesque expressions, in accompaniment with the beats of
drums,
cymbals and long pipes. The Lamas prepare the masks, made of
wood and papier-mâché with a thin coat of plaster.
The figures usually portrayed are of Yama (the Lord of death)
and his demons, Padmasambhava (the second Buddha), the god
of wealth, and the protector of horses and other animals.
The Hemis monastery of Ladakh is home to a
number of colorful and beautiful mask dances from the Buddhist
culture. Hemis is one of the largest and richest monasteries
of Ladakh and is a leading center of Drugpa Buddhism. On the
tenth day of the sixth month of the Ladakhi calendar, the monastery
turns into a very large stage where monks, tourists and people
from all over the world congregate for the famous masked dances.
The performers wear elaborate and bizarre costumes and masks
and through typically slow dance movements, unfurl a story of
the age-old fight between good and evil, ending with the eventual
victory of the former. Typical costumes include Gonchas of velvet,
elaborately embroidered waistcoats and boots, and gonads or hats.
The various dances performed here have a separate
set of colorful masks to depict different figures. The Padmasambhava
dance, which shows the conquest of the ruta demons, has among
other figures represented in the dance, Yama - the God of death,
and the black-hatted sorcerer, Guru Trakpo - the vanquisher of
all demons. The brightly colored and beautifully costumed performers
dance and leap in a dramatic depiction of the conflict between
the evil spirit and the good, religious one. The good spirits
bear triangular flags and have bells on their feet. In the course
of the long performance, the latter slowly vanquishes the non-believer,
converting him to the Tibetan form of Buddhism, thus representing
victory. One of the dancers carries a pair of mummified hands,
which are supposed to have belonged to a painter who painted
the giant Thangka (Tibetan painting), which is displayed once
every 12 years, in the Hemis festival.
The Yak Dance portrays the unusual experience
of a man driven out of his home by his father, who comes across
a yak. Two men holding a yak head with elaborate costumes, act
as a yak, while others perform with mask. The dances revolve
around other animals, such as deer, lion, peacock and the mock
cockfight. The Lion and peacock dances are performed by Monpas,
and all the animal dances, depicting a story, capture gait and
movements of animals. Two groups perform the cockfight dance
with each group having two drummers. They wear masks resembling
cock heads.
Among the other dances, which are performed
in the Hemis monastery, is the Tse-Chu Dance, to celebrate the
birthday of Guru Rimpoche, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. The
Lamas perform sacred masked dances leading to the destruction
of the sacrificial offerings. Another festival that is celebrated
every year in February with great pomp and fervor is the Dosmoche
festival. Masked Lamas from different monasteries perform the
sacred dance-drama. Dosmoche celebrations are also held in the
Likir (Indus Valley) and Deksit (Nubra valley) monasteries. The
Yuru Kabgyat festival is celebrated during July, in the monastery
of Lamayuru of Leh. The masks worn by the lamas represent guardian
divinities from the Dringungpa pantheon.
Away from Ladakh, the famous mask dances from
Sikkim also provide a marvelous spectacle. Performed by lamas
in the monastery courtyard to celebrate religious festivals,
these dances demonstrate perfect footwork and grace. Costumed
lamas with gaily-painted masks, ceremonial swords and sparkling
jewels, leap and swing to the rhythm of resounding drums, trumpeting
of horns and chanting of monks.
In the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh
in north India, the Lama Devil dance is one of the most attractive
mask dances of the Kinnauri tribals. Two of the dancers are dressed
as lions. The dance depicts the taming of the lion that represents
evil spirits. Perhaps the earliest known masks still in use are
the bronze mohras of the northern hills. In Himachal Pradesh
the cult of mohras (embosses) is apparently much older than the
cult of icons. The casting of these mohras with iconographic
and stylistic features was established by the sixth century.
Another unique group from this region are the wooden masks from
the Kannaur village in Chamba.
In the northeastern states of India too, Buddhist
tribes use masks for dance and pantomime. This custom can be
traced from about the sixteenth century when monks from the Tawang
monastery in present-day Arunachal Pradesh propagated Buddhist
philosophy in that region. A number of mask dances in the trans-Himalayan
style are regularly performed during Buddhist festivals and ceremonies,
as well as for recreation and amusement. Masks are also integral
to the magico-religious practices prevalent among the different
tribes in this region.
Thutotdam is the dance of the Sherdukpens
and the Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh, representing skulls and
costumes designed as skeletons. It depicts how the souls after
death are received in the other world. Nongkrem Dance is the
most important mask dance of the Khasis in Meghalaya and is celebrated
during autumn, essentially as a thanks-giving ceremony to God
for the harvest and to pray for peace and prosperity.
CONCLUSION
Most nations all over the world have a cultural
past, which is inseparably linked to masks making them a universal
phenomenon. A notable exception is the Arabic world with its
Islamic background, which stays away from deification and iconization
of characters. Masks from all over the world converge on the
universality of the human mind and the power of the human imagination.
The Mask forms a silent language which is universally understood
and which defines the essence of human expressions and emotions
at various levels - spiritual, religious and material.
The flavor of masks still remains as fresh
as ever even though today, the focus of the use of masks has
shifted from the performing arts and religious ceremonies, to
the handicrafts market. However, whether it is made of wood or
metal or fabric - the Mask continues to be a source of mystery
and fascination - a mode of escape from the drudgery of everyday
life seeped in technology and automation.
This article was written by:
Madhuri Guin Our efforts have been directed at making this article informative and refreshing for you. We will truly appreciate all forms of feedback. Please send your feedback to newsletter@dollsofindia.com.
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