Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 7(1), January 2008, pp. 130-133 Masks from the archives of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Kakoli Roy Biswas Janapada Sampada DivisionIndira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi 110 001 E-mail:
[email protected] Received 10 August 2007; Revised 30 October 2007 Mask, used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, are normally worn on the face, typically for protection, concealment, performance, or amusement. Masks are believed to embody the spirit of an ancestor, and symbolize a message of wisdom, prosperity, security, and power. Masks have been worn in cultures throughout the world for thousands of years. Masks are made of varied materials including paper, cloth, grass, leather, metal, wood and stone. They are painted with symbolic designs and vivid colours. Masks and their manifold forms are a very significant mode of cultural expression. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has a rich collection of masks from all over the world. The paper describes historical background, material used, traditional methods of preparation and cultural significance of masks from the repository of the GNCA. The article also highlights the musicological, psychological and philosophical significance of these masks and focused description of the Chhau masks of West Bengal and Saraikela. Keywords: Masks IPC Int. Cl.8: B27, G10D Mask is an object, which helps a man to hide his own person. Traditional carvers or mask makers undergo identity and project various moods and required many years of specialized apprenticeship until images to act accordingly. The mask was invented by achieving mastery of the art.