India is a land of culture, traditions, colours, and fragrance. Burning agarbatti as an activity has been followed very fondly by all religions alike. Lighting an incense stick, commonly known as agarbatti in India, has been an age-old tradition since the Vedas. The oldest Vedas known to humanity, namely the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda, mentions the incense. This highlights the deep-rooted relation between India and agarbatti.
Early Benefits of Agarbatti
During the early days, agarbatti making was a job reserved only for the priests, but its enchantment was enjoyed by one and all. However, as business prospered in India, so did agarbatti manufacturing, and the workforce from classes and religions began to gain expertise in incense making. This flourish made India – the world’s largest agarbatti manufacturer and agarbatti supplier. Even that doesn’t make agarbatti just any other commodity in India, even now it is revered by all Indians like they did centuries ago.
The pleasing aroma from agarbatti is known to make everyone feel relaxed and calm. The aroma provides a healing touch and helps alleviate mental and sometimes physical ailments. Even Ayurveda believes and has mentioned the significance of agarbatti in treating and maintaining a healthy body.
Agarbatti makes the ambiance purer by warding off the negative energy and making the premises fit for religious ceremonies. Sometimes, they double up as an organic insect repellant during such events and assist devotees with better concentration. During meditation and yoga sessions, it helps in keeping your mind relaxed and receptive. Hence, you would find many yoga centers, lighting an agarbatti during sessions.
Incense and Rituals
Going by the Vedic scriptures, incense or agarbattis form an integral part of almost every Hindu ritual. Even Buddhism has adopted agarbatti and use them extensively in their religious ceremonies and practices. As the world shrunk and global trade expanded, gradually people from all around the world began using agarbatti for its bounty of benefits, if not for religious purposes.
For Hindus, lighting an agarbatti have a symbolic significance. Hindus believe in the practice of sacrifice for the betterment of society. Going by this belief, agarbatti completely burns or sacrifices itself for the betterment of the premises around it. The magnetic aroma takes the devotees on a journey and leads them towards meeting the supreme deity. This is why, even after so many years, agarbatti isn’t just any other product in India, it is still revered by all Indians like they did centuries ago.
Agarbatti is now synonymous with Indian culture. The bright coloured (mostly black) agarbattis are omnipresent all over India, in every temple to almost every household. Hem Incense celebrates this culture and is known globally as the leading agarbatti manufacturer in India and boasts of a wide variety of other incense products.