Masks are the heart of Chau dance. Charida a village in Purulia district of West Bengal, is preserving this intangible heritage. Charida the main hub of the Chau mask-making community called Sutradhar. Their ancestors lived in Bardhaman (district in West Bengal).
Around 150 years ago, the then king of Baghundi, Madan Mohan Singh Deo, brought them to Charida to make new idols of the deities worshiped at his palace. Most villagers, including men an women, are engaged in the craft. In most cases, it is a family-based enterprise. There are 308 persons from 115 families who are involved with the craft in Charida. They include 100 women. Anil Sutradhar and Monoranjan Sutradhar are both state award winners, and Parimal Dutta and Jayanta Sutradhar are district award winners. The intentionally Chau exponent, Gambhir Singh Mura, was from Charida.
Like any other folk artist, the chau mask-makers of charida procure the essential raw materials from local sources. They include the clay, water, pieces of cloth, coal ash, paper, adhesives, color, varnish, beads, plastic flowers, peacock plume, leaves, etc.
The artists who give shape to the masks turn into observers at the stage of decoration, when womens play the main role. Quite a dew of the item used for decoration are now also brought from Kolkata.