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AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
bottom
of the sea is but a few fathoms deep and where man can go and come and
live, there are among other marvellous creations, shells of wonderful
structure and beautiful to look upon. One by one these have been
discovered during past ages by the adventurous and for their usefulness
or beauty have awakened the desire of those who dwell upon the earth.
The chank, the sacred shell of the Hindus, has been used by the priests
of Buddha for centuries as a horn to call the faithful. Shankar the
Destroyer, of Hindu mythology, and Vishnu, each hold a chank shell in
one of their hands.
The
shell whorl usually runs from left to right, sometimes it is found with
the whorl reversed and these were so highly regarded by Hindus,
Cingalese and Chinese that in old times they were sold for their weight
in gold. Even now they bring a good price in the eastern markets. They
are kept in the pagodas of China to hold the sacred oil: the priests of
Ceylon administer medicine by them. In Dacca the chank is cut into
armlets and anklets for Hindu women upon whose persons they are left
after death. The delicate pink cameos
is
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