Shankha

In Hinduism, the shankha called panchajanya is a sacred emblem of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu.

The upper portion (the siphonal canal) is corkscrew-shaped, while the lower end (the spire) is twisted and tapering.

This type of shankha has three to seven ridges visible on the edge of the aperture and on the columella and has a special internal structure.

The long white curl between Buddha's eyebrows and the conch-like swirl of his navel are also akin to this shankha.

The Skanda Purana narrates that bathing Vishnu with this shankha grants freedom from sins of seven previous lives.

A Dakshinavarta shankha is considered to be a rare "jewel" or ratna and is adorned with great virtues.

When air is blown through this hole, it travels through the whorls of the shankha, producing a loud, sharp, shrill sound.

In ancient Greece, shells, along with pearls, are mentioned as denoting sexual love and marriage, and also mother goddesses.

[7] Shankha ash contains calcium, iron and magnesium and is considered to possess antacid and digestive properties.

Sankha Sadma Purana declares that bathing an image of Vishnu with cow milk is as virtuous as performing a million yajnas (fire sacrifices), and bathing Vishnu with Ganges river water frees one from the cycle of births.

"[8] Padma Purana asserts the same effect of bathing Vishnu by Ganges water and milk and further adds doing so avoids evil, pouring water from a shankha on one's own head before a Vishnu image is equivalent to bathing in the pious Ganges river.

The right-turning white conch shell (Tibetan: དུང་གྱས་འཁྱིལ, Wylie: dung gyas 'khyil), represents the elegant, deep, melodious, interpenetrating and pervasive sound of Buddhism, which awakens disciples from the deep slumber of ignorance and urges them to accomplish their own welfare and the welfare of others.

The symbol was derived from the erstwhile emblems of the Indian princely state of Travancore, and the Kingdom of Cochin.

Vishnu's images, either in sitting or standing posture, show him holding the shankha usually in his left upper hand, while Sudarshana Chakra (chakra – discus), gada (mace) and padma (lotus flower) decorate his upper right, the lower left and lower right hands, respectively.

[30] The city of Puri also known as Shankha-kshetra is sometimes pictured as a shankha or conch in art with the Jagannath temple at its centre.

[31] A Hindu legend in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana recalls the creation of conchs: Shiva flung a trident towards the asuras, burning them instantaneously.

A legend describes an asura named Shankhasura, who was killed by Vishnu's fish avatar, Matsya.

Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva are described to possess shankhas named Ananta-Vijaya, Poundra-Khadga, Devadatta, Sughosha and Mani-pushpaka, respectively.

The list of Nāgas in the Mahabharata, Harivamsha and Bhagavata Purana include Shankha, Mahashankha, Shankhapala, and Shankachuda.

The snake directed the sadhu that he should be worshipped as Nāga Devata (Serpent God) and since then it has been known as Shanku Naga.