Did you know that Shankha in a powdered form of its shell material is used in Ayurveda as a treatment for stomach ailments?
Shankha, a Gastropod shell of any suitable sea snail is a sacred [[emblem]] of The Hindu preserver god Vishnu, wiedely used in ancient days as a war trumpet is a part of the state emblem and seal of the Indian state of Kerala. It was the earliest known sound-producing agency as a manifestation of sound, and the other elements came later, hence it is regarded as the origin of the elements.
A Hindu legend in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana recalls the creation of conchs: Shiva flung a trident towards the asuras, burning them instantaneously. Their ashes flew in the sea creating conchs.[6] Shankha is believed to be a brother of Lakshmi as both of them were born from the sea.
Nowadays, 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. No hole is drilled for these purposes, though the aperture is cut clean or rarely the whorls are cut to represent five consecutive shells with five mouths.
To make a trumpet or wind instrument, one drills a hole near the tip of the apex of the shankha. When air is blown through this hole, it travels through the whorls of the shankha, producing a loud, sharp, shrill sound. This sound is the reason the shankha was used as a war trumpet, to summon helpers and friends. Shanka continued to be used in battles for a long time. The sound it produced was called "Shankanad".
Shankha is used in Ayurveda medicinal formulations to treat many ailments. It is prepared as conch shell ash, known in Sanskrit as shankha bhasma, which is prepared by soaking the shell in lime juice and calcinating in covered crucibles, 10 to 12 times, and finally reducing it to powder ash. Shankha bhasma contains calcium, iron and magnesium and is considered to possess antacid and digestive properties.
Shankha is used as a material for making bangles, bracelets and other objects. Because of its aquatic origin and resemblance to the vulva, it has become an integral part of the Tantric rites. In view of this, its symbolism is also said to represent female fertility. Since water itself is a fertility symbol, shankha, which is an aquatic product, is recognised as symbolic of female fertility. In ancient Greece, shells, along with pearls, are mentioned as denoting sexual love and marriage, and also mother goddesses.
Brahma Vaivarta Purana declares that shankha is the residence of both Lakshmi and Vishnu, bathing by the waters led through a shankha is considered like bathing with all holy waters at once.
Shankha was the Royal State Emblem of Travancore and also figured on the Royal Flag of the Jaffna kingdom. It is also the election symbol of the Indian political party Biju Janata Dal.[18] Shankh was also used by sikh warriors before they started the war. The maryada is still practiced by all nihangs while doing aarti aarta prayer and is used in hola mohalla festival as well.
During the great Mahabharata war, Krishna, as the charioteer of the Pandava prince and a protagonist of the epic – Arjuna – resounds the Panchajanya to declare war. Panchajanya in Sanskrit means 'having control over the five classes of beings.
Source: Extracts from article in Wikipedia with my inputs.
Narasipur Char
