T15 
In the Nilgiri hills, especially in Ootacamund, Konga 
Paraiyan women who have come from Coimbatore are 
often to be met with wearing chank-bangles. Their sub- 
division is considered one of superior standing and the 
people belonging to it will not act as sweepers. ‘The 
bangle is always worn on the left wrist ; frequently two 
are worn, always plain and massive, and about ¢ inch in 
width, exactly similar indeed to those worn by Chanku 
(Puluva ?) Vellalas. 
The women of the Kota hill-tribe in the Nigiri hills 
have an allied custom, but instead of a massive bangle cut 
from the entire shell, they wear around the left wrist a 
bracelet of roughly-made chank beads strung on a thread. 
When chank beads are not obtainable they wear a string 
of white glass beads as near the colour and shape of the 
usual chank beads as they can obtain. In answer to my 
questions, the elders of a Kota village situated close to 
Kotagiri informed me that all married women must 
possess and wear one of these bracelets on the left wrist 
together with two massive copper bangles on the right 
wrist during their husband’s life. They are assumed 
however before marriage and the putting on of the chank 
bracelet is not a part of the marriage ceremonies. On 
the death of the husband the widow discards this with 
her other ornaments, but 1s permitted to resume them 
after a decent interval of mourning—three months 
according to my informant. It is to be noted that 
the wife’s ornaments are not broken or destroyed at the 
husband’s death as is the custom among the chank- 
wearing Hinduised plains-people. At the woman’s own 
death they are put to burn with her body on the funeral 
pyre. The Kotas can adduce no special reason for the 
wearing of these bracelets; except that their god 
Bhagawani long ago ordered that their women should 
do so. 
The women of the Irulas, another of the Nilgiri tribes, 
also occasionally wear chank-bangles. Thurston (II, 
382) mentions seeing one on an Irula woman’s right wrist 
in company there with eight brass bangles and one of 
iron; onthe other wrist were three lead and six glass 
bangles and one composed of glass beads. My own 
experience does not lead me to consider this as a definite 
custom. None of the Irula women whom I have seen 
8-A 
