Incense - the scent of the Gods

The incense stick- a humble being made with such gentle caring hands, is one of life’s simpler ways of reminding us how we can give someone a beautiful experience when we selflessly give them all we have, when we burn our own hate and ego, to give room for love and affection to blossom.

From time immemorial, man has been fascinated by the fragrance of Nature. In our Hindu mythology, it was a way of life to evoke the blessings of the Almighty for the victory of good over evil. All evil thoughts and portents had to be driven out and the atmosphere cleared of all evil smells. Thus, the habit of burning incense, barks and herbs formed a part of rituals. As times changed, the odoriferous substances became available as Dhoop Mixture. The Southern States of India started rolling this fragrance emitting mixture (Dhoop) over thin splinters or sticks of Bamboo which when lit wafted fragrance through the smoke. These came to be known as Agarbathi / Incense / Joss / Dhoop Sticks and so on.

Chennai is one of the states where agarbattis are still manufactured from scratch. Located in the state of Tamil Nadu, this city has a vast network of artisans who provide incense sticks not only to other cities in India, but also to places all over the globe. One such artist is Mr Kashinath Patwardhan.
Mr Patwardhan’s store is located in the outskirts of Chennai on ECR road. The unit’s name is ‘Vetri Vendhan’.  His store is open on all business days and the timing is 8:00am to 7:00pm. You can contact him on- 9944789924.

Patwardhan and his sons inherited this business from his father. The family has been in this business for over 45 years. He believes in sourcing his own materials rather than relying on bulk vendors. That’s one of the reasons why his product is known to have a better quality. The materials used in making an incense stick include bamboo sticks, sandalwood chips, charcoal powder, sawdust, jigat powder and the odiferous mixture called ‘Noorva’.

Noorva can be created by the permutation and combination essence bearing items of natural origin like musk, rose, civet etc. The secret of mixing and preparing the desired Noorva is a part of the family heritage bequeathed from one generation to another.

To make the incense sticks, first the bamboo sticks are washed and processed following which, a bas paste of charcoal powder and sawdust is applied on it and left to dry. Then, the ‘Noorva’ is made, and rolled on to the dry bamboo sticks. The sticks are then left to dry again overnight so that the perfume is evenly absorbed. The finished agarbattis are then packaged and stored for private selling as well as bulk selling to various retailers.

Although it may seem simple, there is a value that makes this craft special. And that is the fact that this craft leaves minimal by-products. Although incense manufacturers may make a wide range of incense sticks, dust is the only primary waste material and is contained by vacuuming and excellent ventilation and reused in the sawdust paste. All paper used in packaging is recyclable.


Today, Patwardhan’s unit makes agarbattis for both religious as well as aromatherapy purposes. He supplies to many healing centres in addition to regular retail stores. He has also started manufacturing less traditional scents like Vanilla, Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry etc. because of its growing demand in the Indian market.

The crux of incense manufacturing has mostly remained unchanged except for the range of fragrances offered. Modern fragrance production allows virtually any scent to be re-created. Also, the popularity of meditation and aromatherapy have spurred incense sales among clients who want their rare moments of quiet and relaxation to be healing and beautifully scented.

Documented by : Mriganka Gupta