Aiming to reinstate the lost tradition of the art form and to facilitate the development of research initiatives, Chhau Dance and Research Centre was inaugurated at Chandankiyari in Bokaro district on Tuesday. This center will give a new boost to this traditional dance, said Shakher Sen Chairman of Jharkhand Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Chhau, belongs to the eastern region of India and is characterised by the mask and martial stylised movements of the performer. The most interesting fact is that Chhau Dance is listed on UNESCO’s world heritage list of dances, Sen said.

This research centre will cover three eastern states of the country includes Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal for the promotion and research of Chhau dance.

Explaining about Chhau a local artist Anand said, there are different interpretations for Chhau. Some scholars insist that the term rises out of the Sanskrit word ‘Chhaayaa’ which means ‘shadow’, which may be linked to a very special feature of Chhau, which is the mask that is worn over the face.

But a more plausible interpretation can be given from the Oriya language where the three colloquial terms are ‘Chhauka’ – the quality of attacking stealthily; ‘Chhari’ – an armour and ‘Chhauni’ – military camp, Anand said.

Its believed that the origins of the dance are in the states of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal where it is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed that includes Purulia Chau of Bengal, the Seraikella Chau of Jharkhand, and the Mayurbhanj Chau of Odisha, informed Anand.

Beside others Minister for Revenue, Land Reforms, Art, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs of Jharkhand, Amar Bauri, Bokaro DC MK Baranawal, Sanjay Choudhary, Gopal Dubey, Sushma Devi, Ashok Singh, RR Mishra including others were present there.