λ FOUR SILVER-MOUNTED RITUAL SACRED CHANK SHELLS (SHANKHA)
Tibet or Nepal, mid to late 19th century

Comprising four white chank shells (Turbinella pyrum) typically sourced from the Indian Ocean, one carved with floral decors on the outer surface, each mounted at the top and bottom with chased and engraved silver sheets decorated with overlapping decorative friezes, including geometric fretwork, stylised vegetal meanders, leafy scrollwork, lotus petals, and a narrow band with stylised heads, as well as decorative panels with Buddhist auspicious symbols, the top truncated and hollowed to be blown into as a ceremonial trumpet during prayers and rituals.

The largest 19cm (height) x 25cm (circumference).

Shankhas, known by their Latin name as Turbinella pyrum, are sea snails characterised by a white, translucent, almost porcelain-like body, living in the Indian Ocean and surrounding seas. They bear great significance in both Hindu and Buddhist cultures, where they are actively used in rituals and religious ceremonies as trumpets. In Hinduism, the chank shell is considered one of the sacred symbols of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, together with the wheel (chakra), the club (gada) and the lotus flower (padma). It is also closely associated with his consort, Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, and it is believed that the air blown out of a conch shell cleanses sins and grants longevity and good health. In Buddhism, instead, conch and chank shells are one of the Ashtamangala, the Eight Auspicious Symbols, embodying the pervasive and infinite sound of the Buddhist doctrine, which awakens disciples from the deep slumber of ignorance.

There are two main types of shankhas: the Vamavarta (left-turned) and the Dakshinavarta (right-turned). The coil of the first type winds towards the left in a clockwise spiral, the latter towards the right in an anticlockwise spiral. Vamavarta shells are more easily found, whilst Dakshinavarta are rarer and thus, hold a more special place in the ritual paradigm. Because of their innate connection with water, these shells have also been associated with tribal Naga (snake) cults in India, as well as Tantric Buddhist practices and prayer rituals, particularly to summon monks to prayer or spirits, and to invoke rain and water (V. Reynolds, Tibet: A Lost World: The Newark Museum Collection of Tibetan Art and Ethnology, 1978, p. 80).

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