HORNELL THE INDIAN CONCH 17 



a vivid speck of flame stabs the darkness across the river. A second later the report 

 of the gun accompanies a prolonged ' the-e-es' overhead." 



From the earliest times the conch has also been used in India to call the people to 

 their sacrifices and other religious rites, as an instrument of invocation to call the attention 

 of the gods to the ceremonies to be performed, and as a means to keep evil spirits at a 

 distance and to prevent their entry into houses and temples. 



With this intimate association with the chief religious rites, the people gradually 

 came to reverence the instrument itself, and to adore and invoke it (see p. 22 for details), 

 as is also done with regard to many other instruments or articles of sacrifice in Hindu 

 rites at the present day ; these latter do not, however, appeal in equal measure to the 

 religious feelings of the multitude, for around them have not been woven the myths and 

 legends pertaining to the chank. 



In the ceremonies attending the coronation of great kings the chank naturally played 

 an important part. At the time when the Mahabharata was put into its present form, 

 this custom was fully developed to judge from the description of the coronation of 

 King Yudhistira given in the Shantiparwa of that epic. To quote from an interesting 

 summary by Rao Sahib P. B. Joshi 1 " Kings of different countries, learned Brahmans and 

 sages were invited for the ceremony. A Vedi or sacrificial altar was prepared. There 

 were brought Samidhas or pieces of sacred wood, five kinds of sacred leaves, waters of the 

 holy rivers and of the four seas, seven kinds of holy earth, the sacred conch shell, a 

 white umbrella, and white Chamars. The horses and elephants used in connection with 

 the coronation ceremony were also white. Yudhistir was then made to sit on a throne 

 of gold, and other members of the royal family sat on seats made of ivory, and close by 

 sat the king's spiritual guide and other sages. The king was now requested to touch 

 such auspicious articles as corn, white flowers, swastika, gold, silver and jewels. The 

 king's ministers and other high functionaries were now brought betore him by the royal 

 priest and they all paid their homage to their sovereign. The sacred fire was then 

 kindled, the king and queen sat in front of the holy fire on seats covered over with tiger's 

 skin, and made offerings to the fire. Shri Krishna then got up, took in his hand the 

 sacred conch-shell, which was filled with holy water, sprinkled the water over the heads 

 of the king and queen and said : ' I sprinkle this holy water over you to indicate that 

 from this day you have become the paramount sovereign of Bharat Varsha.' At this 

 time dhundubi and other musical instruments were sounded, drums were beaten, the 

 king's bards sang the praise of the king and wished him victory and long life." 



In Bengal every marriage conducted according to Hindu ceremonial includes the 

 placing of chank-bangles, lacquered red, upon the bride's wrists. An iron bangle placed 

 on the left wrist is also essential to the ceremony. Elsewhere this paiticular marriage 

 custom is scarcely ever practised, but sufficient instances are recorded among a few 

 widely scattered castes and caste-sections of the existence of a similar marriage custom 



1 The Times of India Illustrated Weekly, 20th September, 1911. 



B 



