THE SHANKHA
Shankh is a wind instrument made of a conch shell. Used in religious ceremonies, this instrument is found in Orissa. An instrument with limited musical applications, Shankh is considered to be of immense religious importance in Hinduism. the shankha is blown at the time of worship in Hindu temples and homes, especially in the ritual of the Hindu aarti, when light is offered to the deities. The shankha is also used to bathe images of deities, especially Vishnu, and for ritual purification.
The history of conch shells dates far back to about 65 million years ago. There’s also evidence that 3,000 years ago they were used by people as cooking pots, hooks, knives and pendants in various parts of the world. In India, the conch was first mentioned as the ‘shankha’ in the Atharvaveda (an ancient religious text) around 1000 BCE. It’s also stated in the Mahabharata that Lord Krishna blew a conch shell when announcing the start and the end of battles. After this, the conch shell became a commonly used sacred item. Conch shells was used as war trumpets and it’s still used as a trumpet to sound off in almost all Hindu Rituals.
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