Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c21.30

c21.30

The use of conch shell (*saṅkha*) is very limited. There is still a large trade in chanks or conch shells obtained in Jaffna, and exported to India, but this has no connection with the Sinhalese districts. The only objects of Sinhalese manufacture made of conch shell that I have seen are bracelets, and the entire shells used as trumpets. In the case of bracelets, what is generally found are pieces of shell, ornamented with lac-filled incised dots and circles, and mounted in brass.