HOR NELL THE INDIAN CONCH 



9 



Okhamandal, the north-western extremity of Kathiawar, which forms an outlying 

 portion of the Gaekwar of Baroda's dominions, furnishes a considerable proportion of 

 this export. The right to collect the shells is leased out at intervals for a term of years. 

 Unlike other Indian chank fisheries the shells on this coast are all collected at spring 

 tides when great areas of the littoral are uncovered at the time of low water. A certain 

 proportion of the shells are sold to pilgrims who resort to the holy shrines at Bet and 

 Dwarka, the district of Okhamandal from its association with Krishna forming one of 

 the holy lands of the Hindus, who delight to take home as a sacred souvenir one of the 

 shells loved of this god. Full details of this fishery and of the enactments made to safe- 

 guard it, are to be found in Part I of the present Report. 



Were diving for these shells to be introduced on the Kathiawar coast a great increase 

 in the yield should be possible. As it is, the warm weather when alone diving can be 

 systematically carried on is unfortunately that when the monsoon is most violent. 



The chief centres of supply at the present day are the Gulf of Mannar and Palk 

 Bay where physical and climatic conditions permit of diving being ultilised to an extent 

 impossible in any of the other fisheries. Indeed chank-diving in these waters has been 

 the regular calling of hundreds of the fishing population from time immemorial and 

 references in Tamil classics make it clear that this fishery was prosecuted with vigour 

 under Pandyan rule as long ago as the beginning of the Christian era ; in those days the 

 headquarters of the industry was at Korkai, an important emporium with a population 

 composed, we are told, in the main of traders, jewellers, pearl-fishers and chank divers. 

 This city, the Kolkhoi of Greek geographers, was situated at the mouth of the Tambra- 

 parni which then entered the sea some 12 miles south of the present-day port of Tuticorin. 



The relative importance of the various centres is shown clearly in the following 

 table compiled from the Bengal customs returns for the eight years from 1905-1913. 



TABLE SHOWING THE VALUE OF IMPORTS OF CHANK SHELLS INTO CALCUTTA FROM 1905 to 



1913. 



* Not ascertainable as chanks and cowries have been lumped together in the Customs returns 



of the Bombay exports, 



