Attar – a fragrant affair

Just last evening I visited the main market and happened to pass a shop that proudly displayed its wares, attars. Those of you who are unaware of what attar is, let me enlighten you... attar is the Arabic word for ‘fragrance’. Ancient natural perfumes are called ‘attar’ which are made from herbs, flowers or spices. These were popularised in India somewhere during the 17th century by none other than the Mughal Kings. Age old historical records and folktales are proof of the fact that steam distilling for natural perfumes originated in ancient Persia and Middle East thousands of years ago.

When I was in school, I remember reading a romance novel penned by one of the popular romance authors in which the lady, an American architect visited Persia where she was captured by a Persian Lord who intended to marry her. While she lived in his palace, his sister one day took her to the market where at a local perfumery the shopkeeper took a look at her and prepared a special concoction of attar for her. This was her unique fragrance which accurately defined who she was as an individual, as a woman. Since then, I developed a deep desire to be the receiver of such a mystical reading and the owner of a similar fragrant delight. A glance at that shop in the market brought back memories of that novel and those days and daydreams.

When I returned home I decided to make use of the technology we have at hand today, as the world has shrunk to the extent that we can hold it in our palms. After dinner I made myself comfortable on the settee, tucked my feet beneath me sideways and set about researching India’s natural perfumery. My curiosity led me to learn about Kannuaj Perfume or Kannauj Ittar. I was amazed to read that Kannauj (in Uttar Pradesh) has been preparing natural fragrances since the last four hundred years and is also referred to as the perfume capital of India.

I set about viewing interesting documentaries on attar making which revealed that this traditional labour intensive technique requires immense talent, skill and patience. It takes weeks or even months to prepare just a little attar. It was such a joy to watch large fields of roses blooming with red and pink blossoms (I could almost smell the sweet fragrance) which were picked by the labourers and delivered to distilleries. These roses were then added in appropriate amounts to water in huge copper containers also called degs which were then sealed with clay and cotton. The fire was lit in the bhatti and the roses and water were brought to a boil. The condensed steam passed through long hollow bamboo pipes or chunga to the bhapka. The bhapka by the way is a smaller container which is filled with sandalwood oil that forms the base of the attar. I watched the documentaries in fascination as the workers toiled hard and made sure that the correct temperatures were maintained in both the heating and cooling vessels otherwise the scent would be destroyed. No chemicals or alcohols whatsoever were added throughout the intricate process. The scent created could linger for days. I was amazed to know that the perfumeries at Kannauj make about 15 oils; the most famous of them is the mitti ka attar. Mitti ka attar or earth perfume, is the most prized fragrance, it is the first smell of rain on earth. To create this fragrance mud lamps made in and around Kannauj are boiled along with roses. A small vial holding just two teaspoons of the liquid could cost more than a thousand rupees. This time-worn process is quite extensive and laborious; after all recreating the smell of the earth is no small legacy.

As the last documentary came to an end I was disappointed to know that making natural perfumes is a slowly dying art. Once upon a time 80 percent of Kannauj was involved in the process but now only 25 percent of people are into making the natural attar. Labourers with a complete know how of the art are unwilling to have their children learn and make their future in it. Today chemical attars are more popular in the middle-east because they’re cheaper and quicker to create. On the other hand, it is heartening to know that European fragrance houses are now importing attar to use as an ingredient in their modern perfumes thereby breathing new life into an ancient industry. Though change is the only constant but something needs to be done to save this tradition of perfume making in India. What do you say?

I don’t know about you but my interest has been piqued. I truly hope that someday I will be able to visit the natural perfume capital. It will truly be a fragrant affair!

Image Courtesy: hindustantimes, dsource, national geographic