Attars; Indian Attars, Floral Attars, Herbal Attars
Put simply, attar means fragrance, scent or essence. Attars are extracted from plant materials and there are plenty of them available in the world.
Even in India, the craze for attars obtained from herbs, spices, flowers or barks, is not the less.
These herbal attars in India are not only used for fragrance purposes but also for pharmaceutical purposes. For instance, Sandalwood oil is commonly used to soothe and reduce depression, tension and exhaustion.
Let’s now look at the variety of floral attars along with their extraction procedures. Before discussing about it, let’s make it clear that Pure Indian Attars are generally called Herbal attars, Mitti attars or Floral attars. However, the subtle difference between them will get cleared as we go along.
On one hand, Floral attars are extracted from the single species of the flower: Rose, Jasmine, Chameli, Mogra, Raat Rani, Khus etc. On the other hand, Herbal attars are extracted from a mixture of flowers, spices and herbs: Kesar, Amber, Heena, Musk etc. In addition, Mitti attar is prepared by the distillation of the mixture of clean baked earth and base oil, say, Sandalwood oil.
Although Rose is not the national flower of India, but this flower is very much used and revered in the Indian states. Obtained either by distillation, solvent extraction, or carbon dioxide extraction, the incredible aroma of Rose not only cures depression but also evokes an erotic passion.
If Rose is called the Queen of the Flowers, then Jasmine is known as the King of Flowers. The former symbolizes purity, while the latter symbolizes nobility and purity. Being a cool and pleasant scent, Jasmine attar has a great calming effect.
Let’s explore the qualities of India’s national flower now. Commonly used for religious ceremonies, Lotus attar represents divinity, which also encourages, motivates us, and heals us internally.
Moreover, Champa attar inspires joy and devotion, Kesar attar facilitates meditation, Agar wood attar helps in enlightenment of mind and meditation. And if we talk about Herbal attar, Musk attar has an attractive and alluring fragrance; Henna attar has a subtle and sweet fragrance. Lastly, Mitti attar gives a lively and earthly aroma akin to the smell of the rainfall falling upon the dry and hot earth.
Thus, each type of Indian Attar has a specialty of its own. If you want to purchase a specific type of Attar or want to order Indian Attar in bulk then searching online is a very good option. Find the best deal with the Attar Suppliers in India and abroad by going through their websites and choosing the one as per your needs.
Copyright © Prem Kumar 2011
