Significance of Shankha | Fusion - WeRIndia

Shankha or conch shell has a great significance in Hinduism. It is devoted to Lord Vishnu and believed to bestow the riches and reputation.

Lord Vishnu holds Shankha in one hand and Chakra in the other hand. In Hindu Puranas, several gods had Shankhas, each with a different name.

For instance, Lord Vishnu’s Shankha is known as ‘Panchajanya’.

Shankha or Shankh has a religious significance. Several people use it as part of their religious practices. They believe that blowing the Shankha will purify the environment from all evil effects. It is also believed that its vibrations help eliminate all disease-causing germs from the surroundings when blown.

According to Hindu scriptures, Shankha originated during the churning of Milk Ocean. Lord Vishnu held it as a weapon.

It is also said that as per the command of Lord Vishnu, the deities like Sun, Moon, Varuna etc. are positioned at the base of the Shankh, the deity Prajapati is on its surface and all the holy rivers like Ganga, Saraswati etc. are in its front.

Shakha represents a number in Hindu mythology. It signifies one hundred zillion.

Lord Kubera, the God of Wealth held nine treasures and Shankh is one of the names of those nine treasures.

It is one of the weapons of Lord Vishnu.

Two types of Shankhas are there, one is used for blowing and another one is meant for worshipping purpose.

Both should not be combined. They should be kept separately.

Various varieties of Shankhas are there like: Dakshinavarti Shankha, Vamavarti Shankha, Gaumukhi Shankha, Ganesha Shankha, Kauri Shankha, Moti Shankha and Heera Shankha.

The common form of Shankh is Vamavarti Shankha. In this Shankh, the spiral twists leftwards when it is held with the spout pointed up. Whereas the spiral of Dakshinavarti Shankha twists rightwards.
Image Credit:- “Carved shankha” by Ervins Strauhmanis is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Image Reference: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ervins_strauhmanis/16499978233