Incense from India
India
Incense in India is mentioned in Vedic texts around 1530 BCE, and there may have been a trade in it, around 2000BCE with the Chinese, Indonesians and Egyptians. There is some evidence that Egypt may have gotten some of their fragrant oils from India, China and Indonesian also, which probably means that India was producing oil incense and perfumes before they were trading with others. Incense was definitely already being utilized in Hinduism, and once Buddhism came around, Buddhists were burning incense with their spiritual activities. Not to state that Buddhists were influenced to burn incense because of the Hindu religions inclination to do so, but it may of encouraged the inclusion of incense use in their rituals and customs. To some people, a theory persists that Hindu was one of the first to have it’s practitioners use incense in spiritual matters, like showing a deity devotion or loyalty, exclusively.The epics Ramayana and Mahabharata mention incense, thus showing that incense was in use by Hindu’s at least around the time of the eighth century B.C.E., which is when the Ramayana was believed to originally been created orally in Sanskrit. (This being more evidence for Hinduism’s use of incense, instead of India’s in general). Tracking incense history is often hard, and there is, so far, really no way to tell who were the very first to use incense intentionally and regularly, but there are well educated theories, researchers have found incense use from older cultures that date very far back. It’s believed that the incense resin used most often in India’s antiquity was frankincense.
When Hindu funerals take place in the River Ganges (the deceased is placed on wood), while a prayer is being spoke, a mourner will set the wood aflame, giving the fire incense and ghee. The ashes are given to the rivers waters. During the customary thirteen days of mourning, a Hindu priest will purify the family’s house with incense and spices.
At Indian weddings it is not unusual to catch the smell of incense burning, and incense as part of wedding favors are common, and appreciated. A Hindu ritual that takes place in about every Hindi ceremony (including weddings), is Aarti*, where a plate, made of silver,bronze, copper or some metal, has a lamp filled with oil or ghee. The lamp may have a cotton wick, or instead, camphor may be used for fire. On the plate there may be incense and flowers, and as the plate goes around the room, people place their palms down over the flame, and then rise their cupped hands up to there forehead, this is a act of a purification blessing. It may also be intended for good health, wealth, good luck, or to ward off bad spirits, it even is sometimes accompanied by songs traditionally used for aarti.
Followers of Jainism burn incense frequently in their spiritual matters.
*Is also spelled, arti, arathi ,arati, or aarthi.
When Hindu funerals take place in the River Ganges (the deceased is placed on wood), while a prayer is being spoke, a mourner will set the wood aflame, giving the fire incense and ghee. The ashes are given to the rivers waters. During the customary thirteen days of mourning, a Hindu priest will purify the family’s house with incense and spices.
At Indian weddings it is not unusual to catch the smell of incense burning, and incense as part of wedding favors are common, and appreciated. A Hindu ritual that takes place in about every Hindi ceremony (including weddings), is Aarti*, where a plate, made of silver,bronze, copper or some metal, has a lamp filled with oil or ghee. The lamp may have a cotton wick, or instead, camphor may be used for fire. On the plate there may be incense and flowers, and as the plate goes around the room, people place their palms down over the flame, and then rise their cupped hands up to there forehead, this is a act of a purification blessing. It may also be intended for good health, wealth, good luck, or to ward off bad spirits, it even is sometimes accompanied by songs traditionally used for aarti.
Followers of Jainism burn incense frequently in their spiritual matters.
*Is also spelled, arti, arathi ,arati, or aarthi.
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