Masala Incense By the word "masala" we mean the incense is created in a way where natural ingre dients such

as balsam and a complex combination of oils and herbs are integrated together to form a 'dough' like mixture. This mixture is then applied on bamboo stick and lightly coated with sandalwood powder. This masala method consumes lo t of time and it is quite expensive to produce than perfumed incense, the result is far better incense which burns very slowly and the after aroma can remain fo r several days. Masala incenses are created by dry ingredients, while charcoal incenses contain liquid scents. Moreover, masala incenses have several subgroups such as: Masala Masala is a Hindi word that means "spice mixture". It is usually used when refe rring to curries or other food dishes. Masala incenses are made by mixing severa l solid scented ingredients into a paste and then applying that paste onto a bam boo core stick. These incenses commonly contain little or no liquid scents. Durbars Durbars are a sub-group of masala incense. They normally contain ingredients co mpletely unfamiliar in the West and contain very intricate scents. Durbars are u sually very slow-burning and are quite pleasant and spicy in scent. They contain both solid and liquid perfumes in a binder which never quite dries out, making the incense sticks soft to the touch. Champas Champas are a sub-group of durbars. They have a natural ingredient native to In dia named as "halmaddi". Halmaddi is a grey semi-liquid resin which is extracted from the Ailanthus Malabarica tree. It smells like the flowers of the plumeria tree. Plumeria flowers are also known as champa flowers in India. Halmaddi is hy groscopic that means it absorbs moisture from the air. This can cause champa inc enses to have a wet feeling to them. Moreover, Champa incenses are one of the fa vorable incenses in India. Dhoops It also another masala sub-group. They are an extruded incense, lacking a core b amboo stick. Many dhoops have very intensify scents and produce lot of thick smo ke when burned. The most well-known dhoop is probably Chandan Dhoop. It contains a high percentage of Sandalwood. A proper and systematized procedure of incense-making first began in India. Alth ough in Vedic it is mention that the use of incense for removing odors and creat ing a pleasurable smell. In addition, the modern system of incense-making was li kely created by the medicinal priests of the time. Thus, modern, organized incen se-making is essentially connected to the Ayurvedic medical system in which it i s embedded.