User:Heliophilous/Wooden Mask of Kushmandi

Wooden Masks of Kusmandi locally known as Mukha, strongly associated with Rajbangshi communities Gombhira Dance and Gomira dance, are the traditional objects of worship and devotion of Dinajpur districts of West Bengal. This traditional mask dance attached to pre Aryan era. In the past few decades, these masks have evolved into a coveted collectors' item and therefore artists are now diversified products and Kusmundi is the major hub of these mask makers got GI status.

History
The elements of the worship of Siva in this area date from pre-Aryan forms. The Bengali conception of Siva or Mahadeva is complex and sometimes contradictory. There is much in the present view of Siva which has been attributed to Buddhist sources. Intoxicated Siva in the widespread Bengali festival which is described with a wide variety of names and containing different manners of rituals. It is attributed to Siva, although the deity is known also by the titles Dharma, Adya, or Nila. The festival is known as Gajan, Gambhira, Nil puja, or Del Puja. It is supposed to arise from Buddhist and pre-Aryan sources and it is supposed to be most popular among the low caste and even tribals. It is climaxed with mask dancing and the charak worship, which once featured "hook-swing" in which devotees sang around the charak pole impaled on hooks. From time immemorial, masks have been associated with the artificial faces have worn either by actors in dramatic representations or by the devotees especially of the Gambhira festival for exciting terror. Mask-dancing is a common feature in many religious festivals of Bengal. Generally, half-masks are to be seen in large numbers and are made out of clay, pith, and paper. Wooden masks are rare. Simple coloring is always the rule, red, black, and yellow being chief colors, The masks are enlivened by all sorts of dramatic expressions and the uncanny and supernatural effect of the religious mask fascinates the spectators and even frightens them. The wearing of these masks or false garments being a primitive custom is connected with early types of folk-lore and religion.

Specification
The wooden Mask is mainly 01'two types, one that is used in house hold for the decoration purposes and the one that is used in the traditional Gomira dance. The two types of masks are made by the same process and matedals, with some difference between them. If the mask is to be used for the purpose of dancing, only then the eyes, mouth, etc are hollowed out. The masks that are crafted for the decoration purposes are also bulkier and heavier than the mask used in Gomira dance. Recently the artists are making diversified products in the form of small fridge magnets, lamp shades etc.

Structuraldefinition
Kushmandi of Dakshin Dinajpur is home to crafts persons who are involved in making wooden masks locally called as "Mukha," It is incxorably linkcd with lhe Gomira dance perfbrmed by various ethnic groups of Dinajpur, where the perfbrmers wear the nasks. Bold demonic look is the characteristic feature of the masks. The wood crafted Gomira masks represent the characters of the two distinct fbnns of dance - lhe Gomira and the RaltVunv,us Most Gomira face masks have subsidiary characters crafted along the periphery of the main character. So, the mask is a conrposite of a principal character, surrounded by the subsidiary characters, both of which always have a mythical link between them. For example' the character of Dasarath always accompanies the mask of Jatayu.

Material Used
Initially the masks were made from 'pure woods' such as $'ood from Neem tree, as per Hindu mythology. Mostly the afiists use wood fiom "gamar tree". Locally available and cheaper wood such as mango, pukur, kadam, gamhur and teak are also used. Although the masks used for dancc are brightly painted, dccorativc masks are made without paint. ln some cases a black hue is used which comes from the lruits of the tree called Basatbot.