History, Origin and Evolution of Chhow Dance
What the exam tests
This domain checks whether you can separate evidence-based origin claims from legend, name the patronage that shaped Chhow, and place its modern recognition correctly. Expect short notes, matching and 'justify' questions.
Origins and etymology
Chhow is a semi-classical dance of eastern India, practised in Odisha (Mayurbhanj), Jharkhand (Seraikella) and West Bengal (Purulia). Its movement vocabulary comes from martial drill: the akhada (gymnasium) trained sword, shield and stick, and those exercises were gradually shaped into dance. Three etymologies are usually taught: from Sanskrit chhaya (shadow), from chhauni (military camp), and from a local word for mask. The camp theory best fits the akhada lineage; the mask theory fits only the masked styles.
Patronage and recognition
- Village ritual performance, especially around Chaitra Parva, is the oldest documented setting.
- The Mayurbhanj court, notably under Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo, gave Chhow sustained royal patronage and brought it into court and festival presentation.
- In the 20th century it moved to the proscenium stage, was supported by Sangeet Natak Akademi, and was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
Worked example
Question: 'Chhow originated as a temple dance of Odisha.' Assess. Reasoning: temple origin is the standard account for Odissi, not Chhow. The evidence for Chhow is akhada martial training, village ritual and royal court patronage. So the statement is false: martial and ritual origin, later court patronage. The word 'temple' is the signal to reject.
Traps
- Equating Chhow with Odissi or with classical temple ritual.
- Assuming every Chhow style uses masks.
- Inventing an ancient date; the reliable markers are colonial-era court patronage and 20th–21st-century institutional recognition.