The Recognition in 2010 the Chhau dance was inscribed in the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Government of Odisha established a Government Chhau Dance Centre in 1960 in Seraikella and the Mayurbhanj Chhau Nritya Pratisthan at Baripada in 1962.
These institutions engage in training involving local gurus, artists, patrons and representatives of Chhau institutions and sponsor performances. The Chaitra Parva festival, significant to the Chhau Dance is also sponsored by the state government.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi has established a National Centre for Chhau Dance at Baripada, Odisha. Purulia Chhau Dance is listed on UNESCO's world heritage list of dances in 2010.
In 2014, its tableau portraying Chhau dance of Purulia which is a popular genre of Indian tribal martial dance, had won the top prize. In recent years, this dance form has started gaining more recognition as people are again trying to associate themselves with their roots.
Bollywood has tried to capture the beauty of Bengal in two of its movies, Barfi and Lootera, where they have shown this dance form in play.
Of late the Chhau masks are getting a lot of attention. The Chhau masks have also been presented with the Geographical Identification (GI) tag by the Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual Property India along with other handicrafts like Dokra, Pattachitra and Madurkathi. Sidho-Kanho-Birsa University in district Purulia introduces the Diploma Course on Chhau.
The main motto of this Course on Chhau is to preserve and continue of age old cultural heritage and to promote various researches on ethnomusicology. Syllabus has been prepared by external university professors and experts in the field.
The vision of university on Chhau is not only to conserve the folk dance recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO but to blossom it as an established Art discipline. 50 students have been selected out of total 200 applicants for this course which reflect the increasing demand of the course.
A MoU with Back Class Welfare (BCW) Department is going to be signed for establishment of Chhau Academy on the land of BCW Department, Govt. of West Bengal. Our student share stages in various programme including Govt programme.
The Great Artist who lead the Chhau dance and mass publicized, who is Padmashree Gambhir Sing Muda. This Statue is situated at his areas of activities in village Chorida, at Purulia District. He organised, developed the Art and spread the fame of this Chhau Dance.
He received Padmashree in the year 1981 and farther received Academic Award in the year 1982.
He toured with his troop in London, Paris & Spain in the year 1972, N. America, New York, Los Angels (1975), Paris & Europe (1986) and Japan, Osaka, Tokyo (1991).
Which university introduced the Diploma course on 'Chhau'?
