Shankha (
Sanskrit: शङ्ख, ) translated from Tibetan is literally “white conch”, Tibetan-English Dharma Dictionary, 2003), and true to its name, it is a trumpet formed from a white
conch shell of the species
Turbinella pyrum, from the
Indian Ocean. It is heavily decorated with ornate patterns in metals such as silver, bronze or tin and is topped with a bright bead, which is said to represent good energy. The
conch shell of
ritual and religious importance in both
Hinduism and
Buddhism. The shankha is the
shell of a
species of large predatory
sea snail,
Turbinella pyrum, which lives in the
Indian Ocean.