The attar of Kannauj

What it is

An attar, also spelled ittar, is a natural scent held in a base oil, traditionally sandalwood. A drop is dabbed on the wrist or behind the ear, or on a small piece of cotton tucked into the ear fold. Attars also flavour sweets, tobacco and paan. Rose attar is made from damask roses grown around the town. Kewra comes from the flower of the screw pine, grown on the coast of Odisha. Mitti attar is distilled from baked clay.

Where it comes from

Kannauj was a capital of north India in the seventh century and has been associated with scent for a very long time. The trade flourished under the Mughal court, which valued rose perfume highly. A well-known story credits the discovery of rose attar to the family of the empress Nur Jahan, who noticed oil floating on rose water. It is a story, not a record. Kannauj perfume received a geographical indication tag from the Indian government in 2014.

How it is made

The method is called deg and bhapka. Flowers and water go into a copper pot, the deg, which is sealed with clay. A bamboo pipe leads from its lid to a long-necked copper vessel, the bhapka, which holds the base oil and sits in a trough of cool water. As the pot is heated, scented steam passes over and condenses into the oil. The process is repeated with fresh flowers for days until the oil is rich enough.

How to take part

1. Visit in the rose season, around March and April, or in winter, when distilleries are busy.
2. Ask a perfumer in the old bazaar to show you a working deg and bhapka.
3. Smell a few attars on paper strips or skin, with pauses between them.
4. Buy a small vial first. A few millilitres last a long time.

Good manners

• Use one drop. Attars are far stronger than sprays.
• Pure sandalwood-based attar is costly. Be wary of very cheap bottles sold under that name.

The flowers

Damask roseA fragrant pink rose grown for oil, water, and sweets in West and South AsiaArabian jasmineA small white jasmine with a strong, sweet scent, treasured in Asia for garlands and ceremoniesFragrant screw-pineA small tropical tree with sweet-scented flowers used for perfume and ritualsHennaShrub whose leaves yield the dye henna for skin, hair, and fabricChampakA tall tree with fragrant yellow to orange flowers, prized in South and Southeast Asia

Also part of it, and being written: Jasminum grandiflorum.

Sources and further reading

• Ittar on Wikipedia