What is Samama Attar or Hina Attar? AttarKannauj

The Hina attar is obtained by the hydro distillation extraction method from the flowers of Hina plant. It gets extracted through the completely organic process and hence the derived attar is filled with natural essence of Hina flower. It is botanically known as Lawsonia Inermis and comes from the Lythraceae family. This attar is originated and manufactured in India and distributed all over the world due to its tempting and refreshing fragrance. Enriched with plenty of therapeutic properties, it can be used for healing various ailments. It has amazing skin nourishing properties which makes it an important constituent of various skin care products. It has amazing skin care properties which can effectively aid in improving your skin health. Its medicinal properties can treat skin problems like acne, pimples, burn, itching and many others. Due to such qualities, it is widely used for manufacturing skin care products and other cosmetic products

Kannauj: The Perfume Capital of India

 

Kannauj: The Perfume Capital of India -AttarKannauj

Did you know that the perfumers of Kannauj, a small town in Uttar Pradesh, had mastered the art of capturing the delicate smell of the fresh rain on dry soil into a perfume many years back? Long before two Australian mineralogists, Isabel Joy Bear and Richard Grenfell Thomas, discovered the chemistry behind the heady smell and name it ‘petrichor’. Known as ‘mitti-attar’, it is one of the most sought-after perfumes of Kannauj.

Around three to four hours’ drive (depending on the traffic) from Agra, Kannauj looks like any other dusty north Indian town. Little remains of the once glorious city-state that traces its antiquity to the days of the Mahabharata and which rose to its greatest height as the capital of Emperor Harsha (590 to 647 CE) when it was called Kanyakubja. But even as you walk through the streets of the old town, you cannot miss the fragrant note in the air; even the sludge flowing through the roadside drains sometimes reminds you of a floral note. That is because a large number of families in the town are engaged, for generations, in the making of ‘attar’ or natural fragrant oils and extracts, which are widely used from making perfumes and essential oils for consumer products such as soap, shampoo, etc. to flavouring agents for food and even for medicine. Even the distillate is not wasted but used for making agarbatti or incense sticks.

Although it is not known when Kannauj started manufacturing attar (also known as ‘itar’, ‘itra’ or ‘itr’) but, the 7th-century biography Harsha-Charit, written by the emperor’s court poet Banabhatta, contains references to the use of agar wood oil. It is also believed that the manufacturing of attar attained great heights during the Mughal period.

But what makes Kannauj’s attar-making industry even more interesting is that despite the passage of time, they still follow the traditional method, a highly labour-intensive and time-consuming hydro-distillation process, called ‘deg bhapka’.

Attar makers of Kannauj can draw out the fragrance from a large number of natural ingredients, such as different kinds of flowers (rose, kewra, chameli, bela, marigold, jasmine, lavender, etc.), from natural products such as vetiver, and herbs and spices (cardamom, cloves, saffron, juniper berry, jatamansi, etc.). Usually, the flowers are plucked at dawn so that they retain the best fragrance. Another famous attar from Kannauj is the ‘shamama’, made from a co-distillation of different herbs and spices. There are several families who make the shamama but each has its own secret recipe, which is a strongly guarded secret.

The ‘deg’ is a copper still into which the natural ingredients, such as flower petals, are put in along with water. The pots are covered with lids and sealed with a special clay mix. These pots are placed on clay furnace (‘bhatti’) fired with wood and cow-dung cakes. The deg is connected to the long-necked ‘bhapka’ or the receiver, which is also made of copper, through the ‘chonga’ or a twine-wrapped bamboo pipe, which acts as a condenser too. The bhapka whose mouth has been covered with cloth sits in a cooling chamber filled with water (‘gachhi’). A base oil, usually sandalwood oil, is poured in the bhapka. As the deg is fired, the vapour from the ingredient collects in the bhapka, gets condensed and the oil collects the fragrance. But it is easier said than done.

The fire for the deg has to be just right and controlled by adding or removing the fuel. The water in the cooling tank has to be changed so that the water maintains the required temperature. One has to remove the bhapka after the desired amount of fragrance is collected. Before removing the bhapka, the deg has to be cooled with wet cloth to stop the vapourisation. All these steps require years of experience to know how to run the process to perfection. Just as it is important to know the right way of mixing the ingredients to produce various notes in the perfume. Collecting the fragrant oil at the right time also requires expertise. Some attar, such as the shamama, requires a second round of extraction in the ‘patila’ (a different kind of copper pot). Even today, the most sensitive attar are stored in camel-skin bags (‘kuppi’); these bags also help in removal of moisture and allows storage for a long period without decreasing the quality of the fragrance. The attar, as essential oils and perfumes, are sold in the shops in bottles of various sizes, some of which are works of art by themselves. Some of the attars or essential oils are also exported.

However, many traditional manufacturers feel it is difficult to continue with the eco-friendly traditional process due to competition from alcohol-based and mass manufactured perfumes, as well as rising cost of raw material. Even procurement of sandalwood oil is difficult after most local factories closed down. Several manufacturers are now forced to use liquid paraffin or DOP (dioctyl phthalate). It is important to address the issues to allow the traditional industry to maintain its authenticity. Several allied sectors also depend on this traditional perfume industry—such as brick kilns, supplying of raw material, bottle manufacturing, etc.

Although Kannauj Perfumes got the Geographical Indication tag in 2014, and its fragrances are exported to many countries, it is sad that Kannauj has not been able to turn into a tourist attraction like Grasse, the French town known as the ‘perfume capital of the world’.

 

What is Attar?

Attar (Arabic: عطر‎) also known as ittar is a natural perfume oil derived from botanical sources, such as flowers (jasmine, rose, sandalwood and more), herbs, spices, or barks. Oils can also be expressed by chemical means but generally natural perfumes which qualify as Attars are distilled naturally. Once obtained, these oils are generally distilled into a wood base such as sandalwood and then aged. The aging period can last from one to ten years depending on the botanicals used and the results desired.

These all-natural perfumes are highly concentrated and therefore are usually offered for sale in small quantities and have traditionally been offered in decorated crystal cut type bottles or small jewelled decanters. Attars are popular throughout the Middle East, South Asia (Far East of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan) and parts of Africa. Attars have been used in Eastern world for thousands of years. These 100% pure and natural perfumes are free of alcohol and chemicals and so the problems faced in the West by perfume lovers are irrelevant to most Eastern perfume lovers. Natural perfumes are affordable because they are so concentrated that a small bottle will last the user several weeks, if not months. Due to the purity and the nature of oils, there is very little chance of spoilage unless a food based carrier oil is used to cut the concentrated pure oil.

Traditionally in the Eastern world it was a customary practice of nobility to offer attar to their guests at the time of their departure. The attars are traditionally given in ornate tiny crystal cut bottles called as itardans. This tradition of giving a scent to one's guests continues to this day in many parts of the Eastern world.

Most attars are alcohol-free and are used by many Muslim men and women. Attar has long been considered one of the most treasured of material possessions and Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) has been compared to attar as one of the most beloved of gifts given to mankind.

Attars are also used among Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh meditation practices.

History

The word 'attar', 'ittar' or 'othr' is basically an Arabic word which means 'scent'; this in turn is believed to have been derived from the Persian word Atr, meaning 'fragrance'.

The story of South Asian perfumes is as old as the civilization itself. Archaeological evidence shows the earliest inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent held plants in great reverence. With the passage of time, scented oils were extracted by pressing, pulverizing or distilling aromatic vegetable and animal produce. Early indications of this activity are available from the perfume jars and terracotta containers of the Indus Valley civilization, where archaeological work has revealed round copper stills, used for the distillation process that are at least five-thousand years old (reference req.). These stills are called degs. Following the seasons of the flowers, traditional attar-makers, with their degs, travelled all over South Asia to make their fresh attars on-the-spot. Even now, a few traditional attar-makers still travel with their degs to be close to the harvest. Their equipment has changed little, if at all.

A large number of references to cosmetics and perfumes in Sanskrit literature were found like in the Brhatsamhita is a 6th century Sanskrit encyclopaedia by Varahamihira (505 AD – 587 AD). Cosmetics and perfumes making were mainly practiced for the purpose of worship, sale and sensual enjoyment. Gandhayukti gave recipes for making scents. It gives a list of eight aromatic ingredients used for making scents. They were: Rodhara, Usira, Bignonia, Aguru, Musta, Vana, Priyangu, and Pathya. The Gandhayukti also gave recipes for mouth perfumes, bath powders, incense and talcum powder. The manufacture of rose water began perhaps in the nineteenth century AD. The earliest distillation of attar was mentioned in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita. The Harshacharita, written in 7th century AD in northern India, mentions use of fragrant agarwood oil.

In ancient India, attar was prepared by placing precious flowers and sacred plants into a water or vegetable oil. Slowly the plants and flowers would infuse the water/oil with their delicate fragrance. The plant and flower material would then be removed and a symphony of their aromatic beauty would be held in the attar. These attars were then worn as a sacred perfume or to anoint.

Some of the first lovers of Attars were the Mughal nobles of India. Jasmine attar was the favourite perfume of the Nizams of the Hyderabad state. Attar figures into some of the romantic stories of a bygone era. Its patrons included great poets like the legendary Mirza Ghalib. When Ghalib met his beloved in the winter, he rubbed his hands and face with attar hina. In Ain-e-Akbari, Abul Fazal, has mentioned that Akbar used attar daily and burnt incense sticks (bakhoor) in gold and silver censers. A princess's bath was incomplete without incense and attar. Avery popular attar with the Mughal princes was ood, prepared in Assam.

Types of Attars

South Asian Attars may be broadly categorized into following types of flavour or ingredients used.

Floral Attars – Attars manufactured from single species of flower are coming under this category. These are:-

• Gulab ex Rosa damascena or Rosa Edword

• Kewra ex Pandanus odoratissimus

• Motia ex Jasminum sambac

• Gulhina ex lawsonia inermis

• Chameli ex Jasminum grandiflorum

• Kadam ex Anthoephalus cadamba

Herbal Attars - Attars manufactured from combination of floral, herbal & spices come under this category. Hina and its various forms viz., Shamama, Shamam –tul – Amber, Musk Amber and Musk Hina.

Attars which are neither floral nor herbal also come under this category. Attar Mitti falls under this category and is produced by distillation of baked earth over base material.

Attars can also be classified based on their effect on human body such as

Warm Attars' – Attars such as Musk, Amber, Kesar (Saffron), Oud, are used in winters, they increase the body temperature.

Cool Attars' – like Rose, Jasmine, Khus, Kewda, Mogra, are used in summers and are cooling for the body.

 Uses

The South Asian perfumes in the past were used by the elite, particularly kings and queens. Also it is used in Hindu temples. Today it is used in numerous ways:

1. It is used by many people as a personal perfume, particularly by Muslims due to absence of alcohol.
2. Perfumes have the application in pharmaceutical industry.
3. Perfumes of Rose & Kewra are used in traditional Pakistani /Indian/ Bengali sweets, for imparting flavour.
4. Pan Masala and Gutka is the largest consumer of Pakistani/Indian/ Bengali perfumes. The reason for using it is its extraordinary tenacity along with characteristic to withstand with tobacco note. The perfumes used are Rose, Kewra, Mehndi, Hina, Shamama, Mitti, Marigold etc.
5. Tobacco is smaller segment for perfume consumption as compared to above industry. The perfumes used are mainly kewra & Rose. Along with Pan Masala & Gutkha it contributes to more the 75% of perfume consumption.
6. Betel nut is smaller segment for perfume consumption as compared to above two industries. The perfumes used are mainly Kewra & Rose

What is Mitti Attar?

 

What is Mitti Attar? - Attar kannauj

Mitti Attar – The smell of the first monsoon rains on the dry ground. This is a unique attar that is not made from a plant, but from a special, half-baked clay called khapra, which is harvested near Kannauj. Where does the aroma of clay come from? Petrichor is an oily substance secreted by certain plants, then absorbed by the clay soil and rocks during dry periods. Mitti attar smell like petrichor.

It is subtle, dusty, intimate, deep and once again very uniquely and recognizably Indian. India’s earth expresses itself and is held by the sandalwood base. The sandalwood really takes a back seat and allows the subtleties of this aroma to come through. The minerals of the baked earth seem to dance and sing in the vibration and aroma of this attar. There is nothing quite like it. It draws one inwards and calls us to the depths of ourselves

In the perfume capital of India — Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh — a century-old process is used

to recreate that loamy smell of the first shower, as an attar.

There are about 400 attar perfumeries in Kannauj but only about 10 per cent of them make the mitti attar, according to the government-run Fragrance & Flavour Development Centre (FFDC).

“The process takes about 15 working days,” says Akhilesh Pathak, a fourth generation perfumer who has inherited one of Kannauj’s oldest attar-manufacturing companies, Munna Lal Sons. “Ironically, monsoon is the most difficult time to produce mitti attar, because the procedure involves baking clay extracted from topsoil, all of which is hard to do with squelchy monsoon earth. Typically, we don’t produce mitti attar in the rains as a result.”

Mitti attar is used as a fragrance, an air freshener, an essential oil and in aromatherapy, because the smell of it is so calming.

Mitti attar is used as a fragrance, an air freshener, an essential oil — and in aromatherapy, because the smell of it is so calming.

“I have been hoarding my 100 ml bottle for about four years now because I love how amazing it smells,” says Suman Bolar, 45, a freelance writer from Bangalore. “I use it for various purposes – I put it in the washing machine when I wash my bedsheets, often put a few drops on my pillow before I sleep and sometimes just dab it behind my ears to feel good.” Bolar got her first bottle years ago, as a gift from her husband, and ordered this bottle online.

Satish Dhar, 38, a Dehradun-based researcher and another ardent fan of the mitti attar, say it’s uncanny how close it comes to petrichor.

“I use it as an air-freshener because its earthy smell has a very soothing effect that never fails to lift my mood,” says Dhar, who discovered the perfurme through his work with an NGO for organic farmers.

Read: What makes rain smell so good?

Here’s how mitti attar is made, then.

Clay is extracted from the topsoil and baked in a kiln, then immersed in water within copper cauldrons called degs, which are then sealed with earth.

A cow-dung fire is then lit underneath the cauldron and the vapour travels through bamboo pipes to condense in receivers, over a base of oil, to form the attar. The process is called hydro-distillation.

“The clay used for this purpose is baked exactly like a chapati,” says Shakti Vinay Shukla, director of the FFDC. “First, it is made into a soft dough, then flattened into discs, which are baked at a fairly high temperature to prepare them for hydro-distillation.”

The attar is stored in leather bottles, which absorb the moisture and further concentrate the fragrance.

Watch: How mitti attar is made

“The price of a bottle can vary from Rs 40 to Rs 1,000 for 10 ml, depending on the base oil used,” says Gaurav Mehrotra, owner of the 44-year-old Puja Perfumery. “Sandalwood base oil costs a lot more than liquid paraffin, for instance.”

Sales, according to Pathak, have been growing lately with orders coming from across the country and abroad, including countries such as the US, UK, Europe and Japan.

“We created a website a year ago to cater to growing demand from outside India, and two months ago we added a payment gateway so we could execute orders online,” Pathak adds. “We now get about 20 online orders per month for mitti attar and are tying up with foreign brands to market our fragrances better abroad. Most foreign orders still come from the Middle-East, traditionally the largest market for most attars.”

The mitti attar is also now available on Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal, among other e-commerce sites. Which comes as a relief to people like Bolar. “My 100 ml should last a while. Kept airtight it retains its fragrance for a long time,” she says. “But after my first bottle finished, I went without one for years. Most people don’t even know it exists.”