Shankhas
are also classified by caste (see Varna). White shankhas
are usually owned by Brahmins, red or brown ones are
meant for Kshatriyas, yellowish ones for Vaishyas, while Shudras usually own grey and black shankhas.
The shankha is blown before the start of most ceremonies. Its sound is said to symbolise that of the cosmic universe.
In ancient India, the shankha always went to war: it was blown at sunrise to indicate the beginning of the day's battle and sounded again at sunset to end fighting. Warriors also blew the shankha to announce their victory.
The Ramayana, Mahabharata, Tantric texts, and secular literature all eulogise the shankha. Various deities are believed to live in its different parts: in the front end resides the moon, in the hollow sides, Varuna, at the back, Prajapati, and in the lip, the rivers Ganga and Sarasvati. The shankha is one of the four attributes that Vishnu holds in his hands. In Tantric belief, the shankha keeps away evil spirits and saves mankind from calamities.
The shankha is believed to be one of the treasures that emerged in the samudra manthan, and part of its evocative mystery is the sound of the sea (some say, the primordial ocean) that it always carries within it.
