Referred to as the 'Agarbatti' in Hindi, as well as in other since time immemorial, incense has been used for medicinal purposes and for gracing religious rituals. Indian incense has a very long history, finding a mention as early as 5, 000 BCE, where the Vedic literature's have brought the significance of incense to light. Indian languages, Indian incense is known for the rich tradition, and it has also been a frontrunner to establish the value of incense at a very early age.
Indian incense takes pride in being held as the first organized and uniform system of the incense making procedure the world over. Initially, Indian incense was used to mask odors and create pleasurable smells, as mentioned by the Vedic texts. It was the medicinal priests of the bygone era who were instrumental in practicing an organized incense-making procedure in India, as that is now looked upon as the modern system of incense making process. In effect, it was the Ayurvedic medical system that provided the base on which the modern and the most organized way of incense-making was built, and that is still in practice as of today.
Tracing the history of Indian incense, the oldest and the dependent source that throws light on this Incense takes the form of Vedas. The Rig Veda and the Atharva-veda are held as special sources to glean details regarding the history of Indian incense. Incense-burning, the first registered way of using incense, was put to use to serve medicinal purposes and to create pleasing smells. The first phase belonging to Ayurveda deals with the use of Incense in medicines, where it was was utilized as a medicinal tool for healing purposes. Monks were the first practitioners, who took to the task of incense-making in the early stages.
From serving as a healing tool, Indian incense gathered momentum and was used for other purposes, as in the case of religious Hindu practices. As early Hinduism realized the significance and made full use of incense, it gradually found its way to become a part of Buddhism that took roots in India. Indian incense holds a privileged position in the history of incense, and it was this incense that gathered grounds to reach China, by way of the Buddhist monks who found their way to China around the time of 200 CE.
The Ayurvedic principles were instrumental in identifying the ingredients that were to be used in the incense-making process. The ingredients, as per the Ayurvedic principles, were placed in five categories, as that took the form of fruits, roots, stems and branches, flowers and leaves. In essence, Star anise, Sandalwood, Turmeric, Clove, and Patchouli served as some of the ingredients for making Indian incense, among the other ingredients that were advocated by the early Ayurvedic principles.
There are two categories that belong to Indian incense, with the masala meaning "spice mixture" and charcoal getting recognized as the types of Indian incense. Masala incenses are produced by mixing solid scented ingredients to form a paste, as the paste then gets rolled on to the bamboo core sticks, which serve as one of the options to make Indian incense. Masala incenses unveil different sub-groups, recognized as the champas; this incense is part of a family of Indian scents that reminiscent of the champa flower, also known as plumeria. Many champa incenses may also contain plumeria producing a lovely sweet scent. Champa may also include a medicinal resin produced by the Ailanthus tree along with sandalwood and other spices. Champa is usually associated with floral and earthy aromas with lighter notes from the sandalwood.
Dhoops are another Masala type they are usually soft pliable incense not using any core or stick. Many dhoops have very pungent scents and produce a lot of smoke when used.
When unscented sticks are dipped in to a mixture comprising of perfumes or that of essential oils, charcoal incenses are produced. From the early ages, Indian incense has added intrinsic value to Hinduism, and still holds its forte in the religious rituals.
Enjoy your incense time.... Namaste Roger
Rev. Roger Marlow Ordained New Thought Practitioner and Reiki Master. Owner proprietor http://www.incense-incense.com/ Your online source for the finest incense in the world.
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