Many of the Manchus adopted the Lamaist religion, a Tibetan form of Buddhism, and as conch shells were thought capable of exorcising demons, they were often blown during Lamaist ceremonies at the palace.
喇嘛教在明代經過宗喀巴矯正流弊、嚴立戒律，創立黃衣教派之後，教化大行，徒侶日眾。到了清代，不僅盛行於西藏境內，就連清宮中也篤信黃教。