Explore this unique mask festival in Palghar with a photography community

Bohada Mask festival (Photos Courtesy: Aslam Saiyad)

In May, the people of Alonde village in Palghar celebrate the Bohada Mask festival. The month-long festival starts on Akshaya Tritiya (April 30). Performers wear masks of local deities and dance to devotional songs throughout the night. The performances offer fascinating opportunities for photographers, which is why Chhavi Bombay, a photography community, is organising a one-night stay at the village for photographers during the festival.

Ganesh Mhaskar, an engineer and a villager from the area, says, "In the Vanganpada Bohada festival, we wear masks of birds, animals, gods, goddesses, and demons. The traditional dance performed during the procession is called Bohada and the festival is named after the dance."

Aslam Saiyad, co-founder of Chhavi Bombay, talks about the festival, "The tribe wears masks of the indigenous local deities like Biroba, Khandoba, Waghoba, and Kansari Mata, and performs the traditional dance, at night. Nowadays, they also wear masks of Mahabharata and Ramayana characters during the procession. The festival starts after Hanuman Jayanti and the date and time differ from place to place. The locals play the traditional version of clarinet and sambal while the masked men dance to its beats. The procession begins at night and goes on till morning. At the end, after their performance the entire night, they wear the mask of the village deity or kul devis as they call in Marathi."

The face masks are prepared by special artists. "The preparation starts well before the festival. Earlier they used to use wood but that made it very heavy. That's why they shifted to papier-mâché," Saiyad adds. With colourful masks and live traditional dance, the scenes make it ideal for photographers to capture the culture of the indigenous people in this region of Maharashtra.

ON April 30 till May 1
AT Palghar (Meeting point to be disclosed after registration)
CALL 9867403957
LOG ON TO @chhavibombay
ENTRY Rs 2,900 (Includes food and stay)