I02 



shakha as it is called in Dacca is indeed as necessary of 

 assumption during the marriage ceremonies as is the 

 performance of that other Hindu custom of smearing a 

 streak of vermilion on the forehead or down the parting 

 of the bride's hair or as the weddinof rino- of Ensflish 

 women. Garcia da Orta's curious statement quoted on 

 page 67 is to be explained in the light of this custom ; 

 his informants doubtless meant to convey no more than 

 that among the better classes an essential part of the 

 marriage ceremony consisted in placing chank bracelets 

 on the arms of the bride. The women of castes holding 

 good social status appear however to have no great liking 

 for the custom particularly if their husbands be well-to-do, 

 and I was informed that they frequently lay them aside 

 temporarily in favour either of more handsomely carved 

 ones or replace them when means permit by gold and 

 jewelled ones. Chank bangles are occasionally orna- 

 mented with gold and set with jewels ; the price of these 

 may reach several hundreds of rupees. The great 

 majority of married women, however, wear them perma- 

 nently, never removing them so -ong as their husbands 

 are alive. Occasionally some of the modern sankha 

 (marriage) bangles are made in two sections secured 

 together after the bangle is placed on the wrist by 

 means of tiny bamboo pins as it is otherwise impossible 

 to pass one of the right size over the hand without great 

 difficulty and the infliction of acute pain. 



In spite of the rapid spread of a desire for bracelets 

 of more showy appearance there are very large numbers 

 of prosperous Hindu households, especially in the 

 country districts, where the womenfolk remain attached 

 to the old and less ostentatious custom of wearing chank 

 bangles solely as ornaments. Among these conservative 

 folk a large demand exists for the handsome products 

 of the sankhari workshops. The ornamental bangles 

 made to meet these requirements are of two kinds called 

 respectively bala and churi. The former are broad 

 bangles worn one on each wrist. The churi on the 

 contrary is always quite narrow, generally -|- to -^ inch 

 in width, and usually of conventional scroll design worn 

 in a set of three on each wrist (pi. XH fig. G). 



The use of these ornamental bangles {bala and churi) 

 and also of the red marriage bangle is limited almost 

 entirely to the thoroughly Hinduised sections of the 



