145 



is usually recited durino- the marriage (Risley, II, p. 1 16) 

 with reference to the blasts on the conch which accom- 

 pany the ceremonies — the equivalent of the marriage 

 bells in Christian ritual. 



In Telugu districts the chank is not used by any caste, 

 non-Brahman as well as Brahman, during weddings, as 

 this is considered inauspicious because chank-blowing is 

 specially associated with funeral ceremonies. 



Usually a man of a special caste is engaged to blow 

 the chank at the customary times ; in the Tamil country 

 the caste barbers (ambattans) perform this duty ; among 

 the Telugus the chank blower is usually a Dasari, among 

 the Uriyas, a Ravulo. 



Sometimes, however, women of the family or of the 

 caste perform the chank-blowing duty. Among Bengal 

 Brahmans, for instance, one section of the elaborate and 

 lengthy marriage ceremonies consists of a procession of 

 seven married ladies headed by the bride's mother going- 

 round the bridegroom seven times, some sprinkling 

 libaticfns of water and vociferating the hymeneal cry of 

 ulu-ulu. One of the seven carries a conch and blows 

 it as she goes (Risley, I, 150 \ A custom somewhat 

 akin to the above prevails nmong the Kalian caste of 

 Tanjore, Madura, Trichinopoly and Tinnevelly. On the 

 wedding day the sister of the bridegroom goes to the 

 house of the bride, accompanied by women, some of 

 whom carry flowers, coconuts, paddy, turmeric, milk, 

 ghee, etc. On the way two of these women blow chank 

 shells. (Thurston, III. 80.) 



In passing it is interesting to note that a section of 

 this caste, the Puramalai nadu Kalians practise the 

 rite of circumcision probably as a survival of a for- 

 gotten forcible conversion to Muhammadanism. The 

 rite is carried out in a grove or plain outside the village 

 and en route to the place, and throughout the ceremony a 

 chank is blown at frequent intervals. (Thurston, III, 74.) 



It is noteworthy that Brahmans in the Tamil and 

 Telugu districts do net employ the 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 Berham- 

 pur (Ganjam) remarked " The present day Brahmans 



