When a person who has censed entire body [with this], is walked it is said by people "Who goes there?" therefore this incense is called "Who Goes There?" (Kogacchati)" Perfume games [ edit ]

Incense for dissipation of bugs and other insects; the mixture of the powders of sandalwood, vidanga seeds, flowers of arjun trees, along with jaggery...and honey dissipates flies, gnats and bugs from the house when fumigated with it." McHugh, James (29 November 2012). Sandalwood and Carrion: Smell in Indian Religion and Culture. OUP USA. p.68. ISBN 9780199916320 . Retrieved 29 November 2012. Combustible bouquets were used by the ancient Egyptians, who employed incense in both pragmatic and mystical capacities. Incense was burnt to counteract or obscure malodorous products of human habitation, but was widely perceived to also deter malevolent demons and appease the gods with its pleasant aroma. [3] Resin balls were found in many prehistoric Egyptian tombs in El Mahasna, giving evidence for the prominence of incense and related compounds in Egyptian antiquity. [8] One of the oldest extant incense burners originates from the 5th dynasty. [8] The Temple of Deir-el-Bahari in Egypt contains a series of carvings that depict an expedition for incense. [9] First, it is important to choose a high-quality powder. There are many different brands and types of incense powder on the market, so it is important to do some research to find the best one for you. Look for a powder that is made from natural ingredients and has a fine consistency. When choosing an incense powder, it is important to choose one that has a scent that you enjoy. You can also mix and match different types of incense powder to create your own unique fragrance.

Composition [ edit ] Some commonly used raw incense and incense-making materials (from left to right, top down) Makko powder ( Machilus thunbergii), Borneol camphor ( Dryobalanops aromatica), Sumatra Benzoin ( Styrax benzoin), Omani frankincense ( Boswellia sacra), Guggul ( Commiphora wightii), Golden Frankincense ( Boswellia papyrifera), the new world Tolu balsam ( Myroxylon toluifera) from South America, Somali myrrh ( Commiphora myrrha), Labdanum ( Cistus villosus), Opoponax ( Commiphora opoponax), and white Indian sandalwood powder ( Santalum album) Schafer, Edward H. (1963). The Golden Peaches of Samarkand, a Study of T'ang Exotics. University of California Press. p. 155. a b c Herrera, Matthew D. (2011). "Holy Smoke: The Use of Incense in the Catholic Church" (PDF). San Luis Obispo: Tixlini Scriptorium. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-12.

Various artful perfumes are celebrated as eminent inflamers of lust. The best lovers should be carefully instructed at the start from perfume texts. Having collected the essential part of the perfume texts, which are difficult to understand for those who are not cleaver, [and] which are by Lokesvara etc. I set.." Bṛhat Saṃhitā by Varahamihira has a chapter dedicated to Gandhayukti ("Perfume blending"), here Varahamihira provides several formulas with grid patterns, on which perfume ingredients were placed where numerous combinations of perfumes can be made. This mathematical exercises in perfumery may have been a source of intellectual delight for the educated connoisseur of perfume. Surviving perfumery texts additionally contained sophisticated verbal puzzles that seem designed to entertain and impress the cultivated makers and users of perfumes. [19] Those who were well versed in the sixty-four or seventy-two arts and techniques (kala) that defined their education and in addition to this erotic context, it would seem riddles were associated with the literary gathering called the "goṣṭhi". [26] McHugh notes that "the audience was expected to engage in a bewildering, yet pleasurable, contest of intellectual, olfactory, erotic riddles." [27] Therefore, art of perfumery was not entirely olfactory but also included the cleaver delights of combinatorics and word games. [19] Solving poetic perfume riddles and complex puns of erotic nature, political science, religion etc to make perfume blends were part of perfume making art for the cultivated person. [28] Lost texts [ edit ] In the text Sharngadhara-paddhati ("Sharngadhara's Guidebook"), [21] a chapter is dedicated to Jalavasa (perfumed waters), Mukhavasa (mouth freshener), Angavasa (cloth perfume) and Dhupa (incense), below are some examples;McHugh, James (29 November 2012). Sandalwood and Carrion: Smell in Indian Religion and Culture. OUP USA. p.129. ISBN 9780199916320 . Retrieved 29 November 2012.

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) McHugh, James (29 November 2012). Sandalwood and Carrion: Smell in Indian Religion and Culture. OUP USA. p.124. ISBN 9780199916320 . Retrieved 29 November 2012.

For direct-burning incense, the tip or end of the incense is ignited with a flame or other heat source until the incense begins to turn into ash at the burning end. The flame is then fanned or blown out, leaving the incense to smolder. Traditional Chinese recipes actually call for the use of Elm bark powder, known as Yu bark powder (榆木粉/榆树皮粉). Unfortunately, the most desirable type of Elm bark powder for incense binding purposes is a pale colored powder, and this type of powder can be imitated by cheaper wood powders. So in recent year, the overall quality of Elm bark powders available on the market has deteriorated due to the mixing in of “fake” powders. We therefore prefer to use Nanmu powder, as this is a naturally darker wood powder which is difficult to fake, and the quality is much more stable. The Kamasutra lists Gandhayukti ("Perfume blending") as one of 64 arts to be learned by a person. Chapter titled "Nagarakavrtti" (‘The Avocation of the Nagaraka’) also describes dinacharya ("daily-routine") of bathing, cosmetics and use of perfumery and incense for various needs. [23] Other Kama-related texts like Nagarasarvasva ("the Complete Man-About-Town") by Padmasri also describes Gandhaykuti in vastly more detailed manner. In erotic texts and in the surviving complex perfumery texts, perfumery and making perfumes is seen as sensuous and erudite pleasure, almost a high-class game with poetic riddles and puns. Perfumes were seen as indispensable to the goal of pleasure (kama), and the informated consumption of them was a vital part of what it meant to be a cultivated person. [24] Padmasri mentions unknown perfumery text by the author named Lokesvara, it is one of several lost perfumery texts. [25] Adrienne Borden; Steve Coyote. "The Smudging Ceremony". Archived from the original on 2011-12-04 . Retrieved 2007-12-02.