Charida (also referred to as Chorida, Chorda) is a village in the
Baghmundi
Baghmundi is a village, with a police station, in the Baghmundi CD block in the Jhalda subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Geography
Location
Baghmundi lies in the vicinity of the Ajodhya Hill and Forest R ...
CD block in the
Jhalda subdivision
Jhalda subdivision is a subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
History
Purulia district was divided into four subdivisions, viz., Purulia Sadar, Manbazar, Jhalda and Raghunathpur, with effect from 6 April 2017, ...
of the
Purulia district
Purulia district (Pron: puruliːaː) is one of the twenty-three districts of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district. Some of the other important towns of Purulia district are Raghunathpur- ...
in the state of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Geography
Location
Charida is located at .
Charida is about 5 km from
Baghmundi
Baghmundi is a village, with a police station, in the Baghmundi CD block in the Jhalda subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Geography
Location
Baghmundi lies in the vicinity of the Ajodhya Hill and Forest R ...
village, at the scenic foothills of the
Ajodhya Hills
Ajodhya Hills, is a small plateau with hilly surroundings located in the Purulia district of the state West Bengal, India. It is the easternmost part of the Chhotanagpur Plateau and extended part of Eastern Ghats range. Highest peak of Ajodhya Hil ...
.
Area overview
Purulia district forms the lowest step of the
Chota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the bas ...
. The general scenario is undulating land with scattered hills.
Jhalda subdivision
Jhalda subdivision is a subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
History
Purulia district was divided into four subdivisions, viz., Purulia Sadar, Manbazar, Jhalda and Raghunathpur, with effect from 6 April 2017, ...
, shown in the map alongside, is located in the western part of the district, bordering
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...
. The
Subarnarekha flows along a short stretch of its western border. It is an overwhelmingly rural subdivision with 91.02% of the population living in the rural areas and 8.98% living in the urban areas. There are 3 census towns in the subdivision. The map alongside shows some of the tourist attractions in the
Ajodhya Hills
Ajodhya Hills, is a small plateau with hilly surroundings located in the Purulia district of the state West Bengal, India. It is the easternmost part of the Chhotanagpur Plateau and extended part of Eastern Ghats range. Highest peak of Ajodhya Hil ...
. The area is home to Purulia
Chhau dance
Chhau dance, also spelled Chhou dance, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the ''Purulia Chhau'' of West Bengal, the ''Seraikell ...
with spectacular masks made at Charida. The remnants of old temples and deities are found in the subdivision also, as in other parts of the district.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Demographics
According to the
2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
, Chorda had a total population of 2,568, of which 1,353 (53%) were males and 1,215 (47%) were females. There were 385 persons in the age range of 0-6 years. The total number of literate persons in Chorda was 1,416 (64.86% of the population over 6 years).
Culture
Charida is famous for the
Chhau masks used in the Purulia
Chhau dance
Chhau dance, also spelled Chhou dance, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the ''Purulia Chhau'' of West Bengal, the ''Seraikell ...
.
Around 150 families are involved in mask-making. It involves five elaborate processes and depending on the intricacies involved it takes two to seven days to complete a mask. “The Chhau craft itself dates back 150 years, to the reign of King Madan Mohan Singh Deo of Baghmundi”. A chau mask festival is organised at Charida in January-February. Some of the craftsmen have travelled to far off places such as Japan and France “to showcase their work and popularise Chhau.”
“The Kirat-Kiratin avtar of Shiva and Durga is the inspiration” behind the Chhau mask. Apart from their traditional use in the Purulia chhau dance, the masks have become a drawing room show piece. Traditionally, only people of lower castes were involved in mask making but the growing demand of the item is drawing in people from all castes into this profession.
Gambhir Singh Mura, an outstanding Chhau dancer and a Padma Shri awardee, belonged to the nearby village of Pitikiri Bamni. Now, his statue adorns Charida.
Charida picture gallery
File:Chau Dance.jpg, Chhau performance
File:Charida 5.jpg, A chhau mask
File:Charida 4.jpg, The preliminary stage of mask-making
File:Chau Mask Making.jpg, The advanced stage of mask making
File:An artisan making a mask in Chorida at Purulia.jpg, Providing finishing touches
File:Makers of Chau mask in the village Chorida of Bagmundi block of Purulia. 02.jpg, An artist at work
File:Chau masks on sell.jpg, Masks on sale
File:Mask Purulia1.jpg, Charida mask
File:Mask Purulia3.jpg, Charida mask
File:Gambhir Singh Mura.jpg, Statue of Gambhir Singh Mura
References
External links
{{Craft centres in West Bengal
Villages in Purulia district