How Indian royals from Rajasthan to Orissa are helping revive traditional arts and crafts

Young men clad in dhotis, with swords and shields in their hands, stomp their feet rhythmically to the drum beats and leap and kick in the air, as they take on their opponents in a tribal dance called Mayurbhanj Chhau that has roots in martial arts.

Mayurbhanj Chhau, which originated from the forests of east India’s Orissa state, is one of several art forms that have been revived by a royal sister duo in Mayurbhanj, Orissa, who are part of royal descendants across India trying to conserve history and tradition.

India’s royal families were strong patrons of the country’s textiles tradition and arts and craft but their patronage waned as India modernised and the royals’ popularity declined. In recent years, Indian royal descendants have stepped up conserving and promoting traditional art forms.

In Mayurbhanj, Princess Akshita Bhanj Deo and her sister restored their family’s palace by converting the 18th-century home, the Belgadia Palace in Baripada, into a boutique hotel. Part of the funds from the hotel’s operations are earmarked for use by the family’s Mayurbhanj Foundation for community development.

“The foundation works with reviving Chhau, an ancient martial art, dhokra (a metal casting technique without iron) artists, sabai grass (a local grass used in making baskets and ropes) work and ancient weaves and handlooms from the region,” she said.

“We make sure that these craftsmen are trained to make not just trinkets and souvenirs but convert it into something of luxury and also functional like a dhokra work door handle or a waste-paper basket made of sabai grass,” she said.

“We approach conservation and reviving these dying art forms from all angles. We make sure they develop as entrepreneurs and we help them upgrade their skills, we work with self-help groups, and take tourists who stay in our palace to meet these organisations and people,” Deo said.