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Difficulty: MediumState Society, Culture, and Heritage

With reference to the traditional 'Chhau' dance-theatre heritage of eastern India and its distinct regional styles, which of the following statements is correct?

  1. A
    Purulia Chhau of West Bengal rejects mythological narratives in favor of abstract lyrical themes performed without any headgear or masks.
  2. Mayurbhanj Chhau in Odisha is distinguished from the Purulia and Seraikela styles by being performed entirely without masks, relying instead on agile body language and martial movements.Answer
  3. C
    Seraikela Chhau strictly avoids the use of indigenous percussion instruments like the Dhamsa and Dhol, utilizing exclusively classical Carnatic vocal compositions.
  4. D
    Mayurbhanj Chhau originated in the Malwa plateau region and was historically patronized by the Paramara dynasty of Central India.

Answer

The statement specifying that Mayurbhanj Chhau in Odisha is performed entirely without masks, relying on body language and martial postures, is correct.
Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha differs from both Seraikela Chhau (Jharkhand) and Purulia Chhau (West Bengal) primarily because its performers do not wear masks. Instead, the artists convey heroism, mythological themes, and emotion through dynamic martial stances (chalis and upflis) and facial expressiveness, accompanied by the traditional rhythmic beats of the dhol and dhamsa.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the regional variations and structural features of the three distinct Chhau dance traditions in eastern India.
Identified the three major schools: Seraikela Chhau (Jharkhand), Purulia Chhau (West Bengal), and Mayurbhanj Chhau (Odisha).
State civil services examinations require precise discrimination between adjacent regional art forms and their specific stylistic hallmarks.
2
Examine the mask-wearing convention across all three regional schools.
Seraikela uses stylized symbolic masks; Purulia uses elaborate papier-mâché masks representing mythological characters; Mayurbhanj does not use masks at all.
The presence or absence of masks is the primary defining typological difference among the sub-genres of Chhau dance.
3
Evaluate the options against regional geography, patronage, and musical instrumentation.
The option highlighting the unmasked martial nature of Mayurbhanj Chhau accurately describes the tradition.
Eliminates incorrect pairings of instruments, geographical origins, and performance characteristics.

Key Concept

Regional variation, stylistic attributes, and patronage of folk dance-drama traditions (Chhau heritage)
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

State Society, Culture, and Heritage

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