Religion and Incense sticks:

In Hinduism the goal of most religious ritual has been to focus the mental energies so that one’s mind can concentrate on the object of his desire. No matter what the true purpose of the religious ritual is, it is one-pointedness of the mental faculties that will allow for concentration of thoughts. Just like a monkey tied to a tree keeps on jumping around, so does the normal human mind behave is commonly felt. It is with the use of, among other things, the incense stick that helps in giving calmness and tranquility at moments like this.

Incense sticks have an ancient history

From recorded history dating to almost 5000 B.C it is learnt that Hindu religious ritual has always included the burning of incense sticks. Historical and archeological record also points to the fact that incense and aromatic had made its way to Egypt and the surrounding area in the remote past. During the time of Lord Buddha, the traveling monks to China carried with them various aromatics and similar material which introduced the subject to them. Later on, some traveler introduced this into Japan. However immaterial of who introduced the subject to whom, the custom and tradition of incense burning developed on its own in all these places.

It’s a part of religious and social ritual

In China the incense stick is commonly called the Joss stick and is an undeniable part of Buddhist ritual. The custom and tradition of incense burning traveled to many countries of the Indian Subcontinent and blossomed into its own ritual there. According to Hindu ritual the burning of an incense stick is almost a must and it is also used regularly to give the room a pleasant feeling. Today of the many countries it is India and China who are leading manufacturer of incense sticks. However in terms of production there are some distinct styles which have emerged over a period of time. There are two distinct methods of making incense sticks as is evident in India and China respectively. And even the Japanese have their separate system which is diverse from both Indo/China manufacturing system.

 Popular methods of making

The popular format followed in India is with the use of bamboo sticks around which the ground mixture is fixed with various resin & gum mix. In China a process developed that creates extruded coils or layered around a stick which is then called a Joss stick. In sharp contrast the Japanese preferred to create small cones of incense as well as a stick like structure but without a wooden core. They merely extruded the incense material into a long slender shape and this was burnt directly. On a wider perspective it is the Indian Incense stick making industry which has the most complex fragrance creation and is perhaps the world leader in the business of incense stick manufacture and it is estimated that India caters to almost half the global demand.

Provides employment to many

The incense stick making industry is also very labor intensive and hence provides for large scale employment opportunities in all the countries it is made in. initially all ingredients were of natural origin and there was abundant supply.  However, because of depleting forest resources and the rise of cheap artificial fragrances the industry is reshaping its fragrance creation strategy. All said and done the true fragrance of this industry continues to travel to all corners of the world and smells as sweet anywhere.