COW & TIGER Mask Pair

This set of Cherial masks is inspired by a folk story of a kind tiger and a truthful cow. According to a folk story a Brahmin had a cow named Baula, who used to go to the forest all by herself. One day on her way back from the jungle she met a tiger. The tiger wanted to eat her up, but Baula told the tiger that she had a three-day-old calf that was very hungry. She pleaded the tiger to let her go back and feed it, promising to return after she had fed the calf. She repeated the promise three times and the tiger let her go. Baula fed her calf and returned to the tiger as promised, her calf running after her. When the tiger saw Baula and the calf, he could not believe it. Out of pity he let the cow free. 

This mask is one of the Cherial masks which are a modified version of the Nakashi art, distinctive to the Cheriyal village of Warangal district in Telangana. Wandering storytellers used painted Cheriyal masks to build intrigue for the gathered crowd in any festival to tell religious stories and folklore. The artistic tradition of making masks, handed down from generations, is now a boon to the craftsmen in this Cheriyal village.

These masks are painstakingly wrought using a light wood base, tamarind seeds and sawdust.