Masks and Costumes of Ankiya Bhaona

This paper investigates traditional mask making and costume making in Ankiya Bhaona, a ritual masked performance form from the Assam region of India. This form was codified in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries under the guidance of Srimanta Sankardev, a neo-Vaishnavite spiritual leader and polymath. The performances continue to be held at congregations or sattras, where they serve communo-ritual, social, festive, and increasingly tourism-related needs. The paper discusses how costumes and masks are made, who makes them, how materials are sourced, and the process of negotiating tradition and innovation.