SANK'H or Sank'ha. SANBK. A pearl shell, any shell; a chank or conch shell, the war trutnpet of Vishnu. The elaanks are large species of Turbinella, from to 7 inches long, and of a pure white colour. They are imported into tlalcutta from Ramnad and South India, opposite to Ceylon, and from the Maldive Island& Sankha dwam, a chank locality, is the island of Beyt, still renowned for ita shells, and ono bank uncovered at low water, whence they are obtained, is close to the landing-place. But the riu-sank'h or war shell, with which the Rajput was wont to peal a blast, the onslaught to battle, no louger graces the hand of the Rajput, and ita use in now re stricted to the Brahman, wherewith awake the gods in the morning!' to let the world know when he dines ; or to form churi or bracelets for the arms of the Hindu fair. Clutuka are made into trumpet& ringa, beads, armlets, braceleta ; end the tiatIcasari of Dacca are famed for their skill in the chank or sank'h work. The bkill in remarIcable with which the unyielding subbtance of a hard thick shell ia converted into necklaces for men and into bracelets for woinen. The
manufacture of shell bracelets is one of the indi genous arts of Bengal. At an early part of the 10th century, an entire street was occupied in the city of Dacca by Sankasari shell-cutters. In Colonel Tod's time, the banks at Beyt were farmed of tho Gaekwar government by a Parsee merchant of Bombay, svho contracted with the Kharwar, at the rate of twenty koree (from five to six rupees) per hundred, and loaded them for Bombay, whence they were shipped for Bengal. Frequent allusion is made in the martial poetry of the Rajput to the blast of the shell,' which is as common as tho charge of the brazen trump of western chivalry. Pre-eminent mention is made in the Great War of two of these. The chank shells worked up into ornamenta have latterly been obtained from Ceylon. The chank shell is fre quently used by devotees, alas> ft8 an accompani ment to the tumkee. Sometimes they play trios andquartettos on the shells alone.—Tods Tr. 432.