It was 1956. The district of Puruliya was formed from a large chunk of the Manbhoom district of Bihar. The Bengalis formed the majority in that place. Hence Puruliya was born as an essentially ‘Bengali’ distinct and since then it has remained as an inextricable part of West Bengal.
The name Manbhoom dates back to the hoary antiquity. It has naturally got an old and colourful history. In fact no other place in Bengal has such as ancient tinge. This hallowed land was the birth place of Mahavira, the founder of Jainism. This virtuous soul was born in Manbhoom about six hundred years before the birth of Chariot. He preached and propagated the tenets of Jainism in their land for the maiden time. It is extremely pathetic that this name (Manbhoom) which was imbued with rich Indian tradition and culture and had a proud heritage, has been expunged from the present map of India. Gradually, Buddhism started to had its sway over this region along with Jainism.
The natural ambience of Manbhoom in those days was not very friendly. In course of time, the Jain and Buddhist influence on this place started to diminish. These vast areas were sporadically ruled by the ‘Adivasis’ or aboriginal tribes. Gradually, the ‘Adivasi’ landlords and opulent classes felt inclined towards Hinduism. In 1981, Rizley published his voluminous look ‘The Tribes and Castes of Bengal.’ In its second volume, he wrote - …’The leading men of aboriginal tribes, having somehow got on in the world and become independent landed properties, managed to enroll themselves in one of the leading castes, they usually set up as Rajputs; their first step being to start a Brahmin priest…’
So, in course of time, the Chhow dance mostly represented the themes from the epics like The Ramayana and The Mahabharata as well as from the Puranas and the Bhagavad. Hinduism basically stands on the tenets of Buddhism and Jainism.
The organized and embellished Chhow dance which we observe today, does not seem to have been contrived by any less civilized or unrefined aboriginal society. It is true that the dance had some influence of aboriginal culture but it can never be called amorphous. The dance form must have been remodeled and ameliorated by some more refined and culture tribe. This seems all the more obvious when we come to know that no dance form ever existed in any of the Indian aboriginal tribes. Chhow dance was no exception to it. Although the aboriginal tribes accepted and derived immense pleasure and satisfaction from Chhow, this dance form was not a brainchild of their society. Basically, Chhow has its deep-seated roots in the ‘Tandava’ dance of ancient India. Incidentally, ‘Tandava’ means destruction and devastation.
The techniques and style of ‘Tandava’ dance as described in the Indian ‘Natya Shastra’ (Science of Drama) does not have much disparity with Chhow dance. It is a gross fallacy to think any custom or convention prevalent in the aboriginal society as their very own or conceived by them. Again, it is extremely difficult to apprehend the previous status or structure of a society by assessing its present condition. History witness the blatant fact that several superior and advanced tribes, have, with the passage of time, undergone irretrievable deterioration and reformed as ‘Adivasis’ or aboriginals. The ‘Dom’ community in Bengal for instance, was a very flourishing and advanced one in the Buddhist era. Besides being very famous for their show of bravado and machismo, they had also reached the pinnode of spiritual pursuits and were very religious-minded people. Even the females of the ‘Dom’ community were culturally and intellectually very superior creatures which is revealed in the ‘Bauddha Gaan O Donha.’
In course of time, the ‘Dom’ community became very renowned in Bengal for their gallantry and courage. They have performed with zeal and machismo as soldiers in the armies of the border kings. They were instrumental in protecting and safeguarding the boundaries of the state against foreign invasions. But with the advent of British in India, they were no longer devolved with the onus of safeguarding the borders. Hence, they were dismissed as redundant and almost faced the threat of extinction because they did not know any other trade or profession save warfare sentinel and jobs of their ilk, which needed valour and tremendous courage. They were so neglected and looked down upon that they were almost reduced to the level of untouchable. Hence it is not possible for us to evaluate the pride and status of the ‘Doms’ as a community in the early days by merely judging their lives today.
The same thing can be said about some aboriginal clans of Manbhoom. Many of them have undergone sharp deterioration and turned into aboriginals with the passage of time. So, it cannot be ascertained if they had persistently followed some dance form in their hey their hey days and practiced it. Naturally, it strikes one’s wonder how an intricate classical dance like Chhow with so rigorous discipline and subtle techniques, exists with all its splendour among the poor and underprivileged farmer community in Puruliya.
The present form of Chhow dance clearly indicates that the feudal Hindu Kings had tremendously influenced and patronized Chhow dance at one time. In the newly emerged society ruled by feudal kings initiated in Hinduism, they had inducted extracts from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The credit of transforming an amorphous folk dance into an organized and refined classical form goes to these Kings. Before this, the dance form did not have any connection, whatsoever, with the epics. Even the wide scale use of in this dance was not in vogue in that inchoate stage. But it does not mean that the Ramayana or the Mahabharata were aliens to Puruliya.
From the relics of innumerable ancient temples, it seems that Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism had flourished simultaneously in this region. It has been observed that Jainism and Buddhism have always been preached and propagated in front of the liberal and tolerant Hindu Society. This trend was getting fainter in Puruliya. The age-old traditions through the medium of Chhow dance which was in reality an exclusive form of dance-drama. At a time when the feudal kings of Bengal on the western frontiers started claming themselves as Hindus, a unique culture started evolving and Chhow dance became very popular in these regions.
Chhow dance is performed in open air and has a touch of nature to it. All the customs style and techniques of the dance have been formulated accordingly, keeping in mind the open-air system. Instead of any stage or dais, this dance is generally performed on the ground or rather the hard soil of Puruliya and Bankura in the bosom of nature. It is to be remembered that this soil is very unlike the soft soil in West Bengal. There are several occasions when the Chhow dances spring up to a height of 4/5 ft. from the ground and sit on their knees as they drop on the ground. Chhow is primarily a summer dance. It starts after 10 pm and continues through out the night. In the early days, torches were lighted which illumined the place where the dance was to be performed. At present, bright lamps are used for this purpose. However, this nocturnal dance is best performed in dim light where shades of light and darkness create a dreamy atmosphere. Even today, the rural folks do not attach much the rural folks do not attach much importance to lights which is secondary while performing this dance.
The place where Chhow dance is performed is usually round in shape and the musicians sit around the place in clusters. The Sara, Dhamsi or Nagra players it around the site. The ‘Dholak’ players even participate in the dance.
Chhow dance can be broadly classified into four groups according to regional divisions. They are Bagmundi, Jhalda, Aarsa and Bandowan. The dance form prevalent in Bandowan is very traditional and retains the age-old conventional style whereas the dance form in Jhalda is the most developed and refined one. The other two places present this dance in a moderate form. The salient feature of Bagmundi is its athleticism. This dance is too much acrobatic. In ‘The Ann Arbor News,’ a U.S.A. based magazine, a renowned dance critic once remarked about this dance its ‘movements are very athletically exciting.’ There are some subtle expressions in and acting forms an integral part of it. While playing the brave warrior in this dance, a dancer springs up to about 5/6 ft. from the ground and drops with folded knees in the posture of sitting. Anent to this method, the occidental critics have said that it is ‘more vigour than grace.’
The ‘Jhalda’ form of dance is mainly based on group dancing. Its theme is also reflected on group dancing. Its theme is also reflected on group dancing. The characters come and crowd in a particular sequence with or without adequate reasons and they generally end up in group dancing irrespective of the subject or theme.
The costumes and make up of these dancers are becoming very trendy new a days. Conventional costumes are not used in this dance. Make-up ceases to be the old and traditional method as before and has developed lot of spurious methods thereby drifting away from tradition to a great extent. For instance, the third eye in the mask of Lord Shiva is illumined with the help of batteries fitted to it. So, it can be conferred that the dance form in this region has hardly any scope for further development as its freshness has already been spoiled by the spurious urban elements.
Dance in the Aarsa region is generally conducted by the farmer community. Every year, the farmers struggle relentlessly against severe draught and the whims of nature to produce the crops. After reaping the harvest, they manage to run their household but are hard-pressed. Still, they retain an intense proclivity for Chhow dance which is an inextricable part of their lives. The dance form in this region is not entirely dependent on specific style and techniques. Rather, it is remarkably shown here how a dance form can be embellished without following a fixed set or pattern blindly. All the characters in this dance do not wear masks. Even the costumes do not have any fixed pattern or design. The dancers participate in the dance in simple and casual attire.
Last but not the least comes Bandowan. It maintains some difference with other places in regard to theme or subject. The dance form practiced here does not focus on sporadic events from the grand epics like the Ramayana or the Mahabharata or any other religious texts. Instead, the entire Ramayana is solely depicted in this dance unabridged. Judging from this perspective, the Bandowan form of Chhow dance is the oldest. Another virtue of this dance is its grace and suppleness. Some other gestures of Chhow dance in other places often give the impression that it might have evolved from war dance. But the dance form in this particular region does not make one feel that this dance has evolved from any war dance. It does not seem to have any connection with warfare whatsoever. Although there are battles in the Ramayana they never hold the utmost importance. Moreover, least importance is attached to warfare in the Chhow dance form in this region. Hence, the Chhow dance form in Bandowan is the most prolific and exquisite one of all.