Bohada Mask Artisan, Harsul Village, Maharashtra

Prakash Dapat

Prakash “Shankar” Dapat is a Bohada mask artisan from Maharashtra’s tribal Jawhar region, inheriting a lineage renowned for crafting ritual wooden masks for the Bohada festival, a festival showcasing 52 divine and mythical characters through nightly masked dances. Using native woods like savad, umbhar, and pagara, he carves expressive masks in traditional style and fine finish. His vision is to teach the art to the next generation and ensure Bohada’s legacy continues as a living, community-rooted craft.

Rooted in the Dapat lineage of Bohada mask makers, Prakash is a third-generation artisan dedicated to reviving this tribal tradition from Harsul and Jawhar in Maharashtra. His ancestors once carved masks without design templates, summoning deities through imagination alone. Though the festival and its demand faded over time, Prakash persevered, learning carving techniques using native woods like savad, umbhar, and pagara.

In Bohada festivals celebrated in eight villages across Thane and Nashik, 52 masks representing deities and mythic characters come alive in nocturnal ritual dances, affirming mask art as both sacred and performative. Prakash’s masks now blend ancestral iconography with refined finish, honouring tradition while engaging contemporary audiences.

He aspires to teach mask-making to younger generations and create sustainable livelihoods through this expressive craft. Through Prakash’s hands, the Bohada tradition emerges renewed: deep-rooted, expressive, and rooted in community.

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