154 



The Roman Catholic Parawas of Tuticorin and the 

 other Parawa strongholds on the Pescaria Coast have 

 also been great believers in the virtue of chank amulets, 

 and till recently all babies were given chank-bangles to 

 protect from convulsions and from c/iedi. Even now 

 the poorer and more ignorant continue to employ these 

 amulets, keeping them on the wrists for about three years. 

 The richer and better educated have either abandoned 

 the practice or keep the bangles on for a much abbrevia- 

 ted period. The Parawas formerly also employed 

 pieces of the curious egg-capsule of the chank for the 

 same purpose as the bangle, a fragment of the capsule 

 (ckankii-pu, literally " chank-flower ") being tied by 

 means of thread upon babies' wrists. 



In Madura chank amulets are used even more freely 

 than in Tinnevelly. In addition to bangles and rings 

 used as amulets against the evil eye, or ailments such as 

 chedi and pimples, very roughly fashioned and imper- 

 fectly rounded fragments of chank-shells are used in the 

 manner of beads to make necklaces which are used as 

 amulets. Mara vans, Paraiyans, and Chakkiliyans are 

 among the castes chiefiy addicted to the wearing of these 

 and other chank amulets ; these people often give their 

 children both chank-bangles and necklaces of chank- 

 beads with a view to multiplying the countervailing 

 inlluences against the evil eye and against disease. 



C hank-bead necklaces {chaukiL inalai) are also worn 

 laroelv bv children of the poorer Chettis and of the 

 Vanniyans (oilmongers) who, though they do not gene- 

 rally wear chank-bangles, will wear these chank-bead 

 necklaces. The people of the lower castes also use the 

 same rough beads to make \iX2iQ.(t\^t?>{chanku past) worn 

 on the wrists for the same object as the bead necklaces. 

 Similar customs in regard to rings and bead necklaces 

 prevail in Tanjore and in South Arcot, where the low 

 castes, especially Yanniyans, Koravans, Paraiyans, Chak- 

 kiliyans and wandering Lambadis, generally wear them 

 as amulets against evil spirits, the evil eye and sickness. 

 Koratti women appear to be the only ones in South 

 Arcot who wear bead bracelets in addition to other 

 bangles according to information kindly supplied by the 

 Collector, Mr. Azizuddin. 



