INCENSE

                                                The history of Incense :

Incense making dates back millenia. It means 'to burn' and references of it can be found in ancient Egypt, Babylon,Greece and India using it for religious rituals. Even the bible mentions it's use and in gifts from the 3 kings to Jesus of Frankincense and Myrrh and Gold.

Incense originated as a mix of the natural products people had to work with in the area they lived - flowers,leaves,bark,roots,even the timber itself - when the timber bled and sap was extruded this resin was burned. Today top of the range Frankincense (resin from the Boswellia tree) is more expensive than gold/ounce.

As with anything if you do it long enough you are going to get better at it. Today we are blessed with ease of international logistics and incense from any corner of the globe can be ordered and at your door in a few days. Japan makes some beautiful incense and in high roller deals there is often given an exquisite box of hand made stickless incense where the small box can be worth many $100's!

Generally however India is recognised globally as the main incense maker from way up in the mountains of Nepal down to Bengaluru (Bangalore) in the south. It is here that some of the best incense on the planet originates from. Why this location?

In the history of India the north was more of a conflict/conquering area and the south was peaceful. It just so happens that most of the ingredients nature provides come from the south - Sandalwood a chief part of a lot of incense grows here as do most of the gums,resins,barks,herbs and spices. Bangalore is in the heart of the country and became a natural focal point for all growers to supply their goods. It has an abundance of skilled labour to hand roll incense as it is a desirable city to live in with its old city parks and wide boulevards. It is situated on the Declan plains @ 1,000 metres above sea level and has the title of 'the air conditioned city.' And in present times as most of the incense industry comes from out of this area there is a major benefit from synergies in the supply chain.