Arnav Ajana’s interactive eBook
The Science of Chhau Dance
A source-linked, Mayurbhanj-centred study of how place, movement, music, masks, histories, and evidence distinguish Chhau’s three regional traditions.
Arnav Ajana, student researcher
I met Mayurbhanj Chhau while rehearsing for a competition. I did not set out to speak for a tradition. I wanted to understand what I had performed, then make the first step clearer for the next learner.
Choose your way in
Start with the part you care about.
You do not need to read from page one. The story, the book, and the atlas meet in the same research trail.
One name, three traditions
Related does not mean identical.
Geography links Mayurbhanj, Seraikella, and Purulia. Regional history, practice, masks, music, and movement keep them distinct.
- 01MayurbhanjMayurbhanj, OdishaUnmasked. The face remains visible, while stance, torso, focus, and rhythm carry the phrase.
- 02SeraikellaSeraikella, JharkhandMasked. Small changes in angle, timing, and body shape alter how a fixed face reads.
- 03PuruliaPurulia, West BengalMasked. Costume, scale, music, and movement meet the energy of open festival grounds.
Six reading paths
Follow a question, not a menu.
How I handle the evidence
Sources stay visible. Uncertainty stays visible too.
When accounts conflict, I name the conflict. When a movement belongs to one tradition, I do not move it into another.