Chhau Jhumur Utsav: Know all necessary details and how to reach the destination

Chhau dance is primarily performed in East India's tribal regions surrounding West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha states. Chhau's three major forms and distinct styles are associated with the regions they belong to- West Bengal's Purulia Chhau, Jharkhand's Seraikela Chhau, and Odisha's Mayurbhanj Chhau.  

All about Chhau Jhumur Utsav; how to reach? 

Purulia is a natural, human, cultural and heritage panorama. It is the land of the spectacular Chau dance that was included in the 2010 UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

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Chau is East India's lively, military mask dance. The events, called Palas, begin with Shehnai's Jhumur album. The dance is characterised by twists and turns in acrobatics. The stories are based on tales of folklore that spread moral and ethical ideals. Nearly 6,000 artists in Purulia are following this vivid tradition of performing folk art.

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The Chau Jhumur artists will be hosting the 9th edition of Chau Jhumur Utsav in Balarampur, Purulia, between  December 20-22, 2019. As a big crowd-puller in the area, this 3-day village festival has grown in popularity tremendously over the years. Besides attending the festival and celebrating the region's rich cultural tradition, visitors can also explore nearby places such as Deulghata's 8th-century Jain Temple on the banks of the picturesque river Kansai or visit the Joychandi Hills.

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You can reach Purulia town from Howrah by taking a train. There are a number of trains from Howrah to Purulia and it takes around 5 – 6 hours to reach there. From Purulia, Bamnia is around 40 km and takes about an hour. You can also take an overnight train from Howrah to Muri Junction. Reach Muri around 5:00 AM. From Muri, you can take a passenger train to Jhalida, a small town in Purulia. Bamnia is only 5 km from Jhalda.

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