Shcll-Tntinpets (Vtd their Jhs/rihatioii ^7 



often seen in North Arcot and the Southern Dcccaii, 

 announcing his arrixal in a villac^e by- blasts on tlic chank 

 shell.' 



In Malabar, at the ceremony of the bringin<^ in of the 

 first fruits, the priest comes forth from the local temple, 

 preceded by a man blowing a concli. 



Similarly in Siam, conch-shell music is cm[)lo\-ed at 

 religious ceremonies connected with the ploughing- festival. 

 The principal figure at these ceremom'es is the Minister of 

 Agriculture, who is borne in a palanquin to the field with 

 an escort of priests blowing loud blasts on chank shells.*' 



At weddings, among all Hindu non-Hrahman castes 

 in the districts of the south of India, the chank is blown 

 by the barber (ambattan) particularly at or immediately 

 after the t\-ing of the fa/i or marriage badge round the 

 bride's neck. In Bengal this custom of chank-blowing 

 during weddings is even more general. 



Though men are usually engaged to blow the chank 

 at weddings, the women of the family or of the particular 

 caste sometimes perform this dut\-. 



A further interesting use of chank-trumpets is in con- 

 nection with the rite of circumcision which survives among 

 the I'uramali nadu Kalians. This rite is carried out in a 

 grove or plain outside the village, and the chank is blown 

 at frequent intervals e?i route and throughout the ccrc- 



Throughout the Tamil countr\- all non-Brahman castes 

 which observe Hindu rites have the chank sounded at 

 death ceremonies. The chank s(;metimes has a [jlace in 

 the death ceremonies a'i castes which are not Hinduiscd, 

 as the Cherumans of Malabar and Cochin. Here the 

 chank-trumpet is used for devil-driving.'"' 



'" Hornell. op. ciL. p. 144. 



" /'^'■"'- PP- 144-5- 

 •"•■' /hid. i-p. 14S-9. 



