The Masks of Majuli

Majuli

When we talk of places and their traditions, Majuli just stands out and talks for itself. Majuli is an exotic river island in Brahmaputra. It has been acclaimed as the largest river island on the Earth though there has been challenging claims to it. But still the place has developed its own cultural heritage over the years and generations are guarding them quite well.

One of the faces of Majuli is its masks. The Masks of Majuli are unique. They are made of Bamboo, Cloth, Clay, etc. Hence they are very light in weight. The masks are generally character of Mahabharat, Ramayana or Mahisasur.

The masks were introduced by the Vaishnav guru Sankardev, who lived during the 15th century AD. Srimanta Sankardev pioneered a socio-religious movement and his disciples enshrined 64 Sattaras or center of Excellence in Majuli. The masks were used in the dance and drama of the Sattaras and were of high importance during that period. However currently, mask makers of Chamoguri Sattra are predominantly involved in the craft. The art has been passed down from generation to generation and the people flock to view the artists work.

 

 

 

The initial skeleton of the masks are prepared by weaving split bamboo strips loosely.

Once that is done, the frames have clay pasted on it with the help of a cloth and left in the sun to dry. When half dry, the eyes and nose are designed with cow dung paste. Another piece of cloth is used to apply clay again for the final polish and later, a smooth piece of bamboo, ‘kordhoni’, is used to file the mask and smooth the surface. Jute or barks of trees are used for hairs, eyebrows, etc. The mask is then painted with earth and vegetable dyes. The most commonly used colors are red, yellow, blue and green. It takes about 15 days to complete a mask.

 

 

 

 

 

There are 3 types of masks :
1) Cho masks – Big in size and covers the whole of the body
2) Lotokai Masks – Not as big as Cho masks, but used to cover the entire body

3) Mukh masks – Smaller masks, used only for covering the faces.
The buyers love these masks for their traditional significance. They buy these masks as a souvenir of Majuli and to decorate their walls. The masks remind us of the cultural heritage of almost an unknown place on earth. These are the symbol of the biggest socio-cultural rejuvenation of the region till date.

 

 

 

 

Koshakanta Deva Goswami is the most famous mask maker of the region and has been rewarded with Sangeet Natak Akademy award from the Government of India, a recognition for the outstanding contribution in the field of culture.