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blowing chank in temple worship is to scare away hostile 

 and evil-working spirits. This is a reasonable belief as 

 there is little or no doubt that the chank was used 

 originally as a horn or trumpet by tribes holding animis- 

 tic beliefs prior to the development of the Brahman 

 religion which appears to have adopted the use of the 

 chank in religious ceremonies together with many other 

 rites from the devil-fearing tribes who gradually came 

 into the fold of the new and higher religious belief. 



In this connection should be mentioned the custom 

 which prevails largely in Bengal of keeping blowing 

 chanks in the houses of the better class people for use 

 in family worship. Mr. A. R. Banerji, I.C.S., the 

 present Dewan of Cochin State, informs me that it is a 

 general custom in Bengal to turn out with these shells 

 during eclipses and earthquakes and to keep up a con- 

 tinuous blowing till the eclipse or earthquake be over. 



A rather striking effect is produced when the chank 

 is used in temple ritual as a sort of rhythmical accom- 

 paniment, when it plays the part of kannagolu or 

 talavinyasa.* 



In Hindu temples the four daily services take 

 place before dawn, at noon, at sunset, and at 9 or 10 p.m. 

 At these times the Ochchans, the caste entrusted 

 solely in the Tamil country with the duty of chank- 

 blowing in temples, announce the commencement of 

 each service and punctuate the various rites with the 

 drone of their shell according to the customary ritual. 

 Among the Uriyas the corresponding caste of temple 

 servants is that of the Ravulos, whose caste duty is to 

 sound the chank during services in Saivlte temples 

 when the god is being taken in procession as also to 

 prepare garlands of flowers for the adornment of the 

 god. Like the Ochchans, they are not usually whole- 

 time servants of the temple, but while the former earn 

 money as musicians at weddings, performing upon a 

 long silver trumpet, the Ravulos make and sell garlands 

 to the laity. The Ochchans never use the chank except in 

 the temples, whereas the Ravulos are employed to sound 

 it at Brahmans' weddings. It is a rule among the latter 

 that they must possess at least two blowing chanks, lest. 



* Day, " Music and musical instruments *f S. India and the Dcccan ", 1891, 



