A RICH JOURNEY OF PERFUMES IN SOUTH ASIA

Do you ever wonder where the perfume you are currently wearing originated from? As time moves on, we often get detached from the past but the smell of our perfume always lingers on. The perfume you wear daily has a very long and rich connection with its past. To uncover the true story behind perfume creation, we need to understand the value of this rich history. 

The word ‘Perfume’ came from the Latin word ‘Perfumus’, which means ‘Through smoke’, a very poetic meaning. If we think about it, perfumes and civilizations have an ancient bonding, as old as Mesopotamia and ancient Egyptian Civilization. Human civilizations had realized the value of smelling good from the beginning of time. We all know about the Indus Civilization, the ancient civilization in South Asia which is considered one of the oldest civilizations to exist. Even in that period, there are shreds of evidence of perfumes existing in the form of Incense which was burned in temples as an offering to the gods. In South Asian communities, Incense is still used in temples to clear all the negativity and enhance mental peace. 

South Asians were always a step ahead in the creation and usage of fragrances. However, it is not something that is often discussed. It is considered that perfumes actually originated in the west. However, as per the ancient Hindu Mythology, the world’s first book on distillation, Arka Shastra, was written by Ravana (the king of present day Sri Lanka in Ramayana), millions of years ago. In Ayurveda, Charak Samhita and Sushrut Samhita also mentioned information about Attar/Ittar. Even astrologically, the use of different fragrances is considered to elevate the effect of different planets (A topic we will discuss at a later stage). 

This rich and brief start to the fragrance history shows that maybe perfumes actually originated in the east. However, we cannot claim the origin, but these solid pieces of evidence shed light on some of the oldest existing forms of perfumes and their methods of creation. 

Wait for the next post to see how this shift of perfume spread from the East to the West in a more Modern and Innovative way.