Chhau is one of India’s most powerful classical–folk dance traditions, bringing together martial techniques, rhythmic movement, mythology, and collective performance. With the support of the Axis Bank Foundation, we have been working across eastern India to document, strengthen, and promote four distinct yet interconnected Chhau traditions—Seraikela, Kharsawan, Manbhum, and Mayurbhanj—each shaped by its own regional history, aesthetic, and cultural context.

Emerging from royal courts, agrarian societies, and tribal communities, Chhau is both a performative art and a lived cultural practice. Seraikela Chhau is characterised by refined movements and small, expressive masks rooted in classical aesthetics. Manbhum Chhau is known for its large, dramatic masks and high-energy, acrobatic performances that narrate epic and folk stories. In contrast, Mayurbhanj and Kharsawan Chhau are maskless forms, relying on painted faces, expressive bodies, and powerful movement vocabularies drawn from martial, ecological, and everyday life practices. Together, these forms represent a continuum of creativity, discipline, and storytelling shaped by geography, patronage, and community life.

To bring these traditions together on a single platform, we have launched www.chhaudanceindia.com, a comprehensive digital space dedicated to documenting and celebrating Chhau dance in all its diversity. The website highlights artists, performance practices, costume and mask-making traditions, music, and the cultural ecosystems that sustain Chhau across generations.

Chhau Dance India functions as both an archive and an outreach platform—connecting practitioners, researchers, students, and audiences worldwide. By amplifying community narratives and artistic knowledge, the platform reinforces Chhau’s relevance as a living heritage form and strengthens efforts toward its long-term safeguarding, recognition, and transmission.