chank
9.9
A large sea snail shell used as a trumpet in South Asian religious ceremonies
- noun
- Indian
:
chank
- During the festival, people gathered around to listen to the sound of the chank being played.
Examples
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In traditional South Asian rituals, the chank is often used as a trumpet to call worshippers.
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"Chank-a-chank," Ophelia says when the accordion sounds pump in, "neuf a cinq."
Fiction book (1993) -
Judges in the Pillai case, for example, trace continuous state control over chank fisheries from King Asoka in 306 B.C. through colonial control in the 19th century.
Academic text (2016) -
The priest blew the chank during the ceremony to signal the start of the prayers.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Chank comes from the Sanskrit word shankha, meaning 'conch shell'. Like the English word conch, this large sea-shell is often blown like a 'trumpet' in South Asian religious ceremonies, so chank refers to a big sea snail shell used to make sound at ceremonies.
