HORNELLr THE INDIAN CONCH 31 



chank during marriage ceremonies though their brethren in Bengal do. Among Telugu 

 Brahmans living in Uriya districts the custom of Bengal used to be followed at marriages, 

 but this is gradually dying out ; as one Brahman in Berhampur (Ganjfun) remarked 

 " The present day Brahmans here have more regard for the magic flute than for the 

 divine voice issuing from the chank." 



In Bengal the association of the chank with marriage is more intimate and deep than 

 elsewhere ; no Bengali lady is properly or legally married unless chank bangles, which 

 should be lacquered red, be placed upon her wrists. In the Madras Presidency, marriage 

 bangles are used only by a few sections of the agricultural and pastoral castes (Vellalans 

 and Idaiyans). 



One of the most interesting facts brought to light during the present research is 

 the weighty evidence we have that in former days the tali, the essential marriage symbol 

 among Tamils, was directly connected with the chank, either composed of a piece 

 of the shell or of a metal ornament in the form of a miniature chank shell. We find 

 this marriage badge named specifically sankhu tali among four castes widely separated 

 both geographically and in status and civilisation. First are the Chanku tali Vellalans, 

 a section of the great Vellalar caste, who wear, according to Winslow (" Tamil and English 

 Dictionary," Madras, 1862), a representation of the chank on either side of a central 

 symbol. Unfortunately, apart from this reference, I have been unable to trace the 

 location of these Vellalans at the present day, or to obtain any details of the custom. 



Two other castes with the same marriage badge occur on the West Coast, and it 

 is significant that one is undoubtedly of Tamil origin. This is an immigrant branch 

 of the Idaiyans known locally as Puvandans, settled in Travancore. On ceremonial 

 occasions the women wear the Tamil Idaiyan dress while in ordinary life they attire 

 themselves after the fashion of Nayar women. Their tali is known as sankhu tali and a 

 small ornament in the form of a chank is its most conspicuous feature. (Thurston, II, 

 366.) 



The other West Coast caste using a sankhu tali is that of the Thandan Pulayans, 

 a small division of the Pulayans who dwell in South Malabar and Cochin. The women 

 dress in a leaf skirt made from the stems of a sedge called thanda, which are cut into 

 equal lengths, woven at one end and tied round the waist so that they hang down below 

 the knees. 



According to Ananthakrishna Aiyar (Thurston, VII, p. 23.) : "At the marriage 

 ceremony, the tali (marriage badge) is made of a piece of a conch shell (Turbindla rapa) 

 which is tied on the bride's neck at an auspicious hour. She is taken before her landlord, 

 who gives her some paddy, and all the coconuts on the tree beneath which she happens 



to kneel To ascertain whether a marriage will be a happy one, a 



conch shell is spun round. If it falls to the north, it predicts good fortune ; if to the east 

 or west, the omens are favourable ; if to the south, very unfavourable." 



Lastly, and most interesting of all, we find a caste calling their marriage badge 



