Incense

From the historical times, mankind has employed the use of incense. As the discovery of fire came into being, the prehistoric people soon realized that the materials (such as wood and some others) when burned, give a unique smell, which is sometimes very intense and powerful in nature. From historical evidences, it is clear that most of the cultures used and associated these incenses for religious purposes and sometimes even for soothing and healing intentions. Another purpose of incense was to purify the area in which it would burn as the strong smell became the cause of removing impurities. Other purposes of incense burning were to change a mood or to cleanse and disinfect living spaces, specifically those areas that had been polluted by any instance of death or illness or any natural catastrophe.


The history of incense has been spread over almost all the cultures be it Japan, China, Egypt, Persia, Arabia, India or Tibet. Specifically Japanese incense burning or Tibetian incense burning was mostly done for religious and spiritual purposes. There is specific incense in Japan known as the Japanese pig incense. Besides using incense for religious causes and intentions, it was also used for trading. And soon the incense trade became a flourishing industry, the continuity of which is still going on and has only thrived more over the years. Hence exporting and importing incense by countries has increased the scope of opportunities for many people in the international market.

Nowadays incense comes in all sorts of forms and manifestations such as incense sticks, incense cones, gonesh incense, and bamboo incense sticks etc. There are natural incenses (some of which is extracted from the leaves and wood of various kinds of trees) as well as artificial incenses, both of which have a great and popular presence in the international market. To be sold in bulk incense is preserved by the traders who use special measures to maintain its freshness and fragrance to attract customers both on the domestic front as well as on the international level. Besides incenses, there are incense burners as well, which are for the purpose of burning incenses. These incense burners have a great demand and wholesale incense burner trade is very common in many countries, specially those who use incenses for traditional purposes.

Not just in the traditional and religious regard, the culture of incense has an artistic air to it as well. There is a divine symbolism to this very culture especially in those countries where the followers of Budhhism are residing. Even in Christianity, the use of incense was very common. Early history already has evidences of incense usage by the Babylonians and the Egyptians and the Assyrians. However the use of incense was way before the advent of Christianity. So when the religion of Christianity was spread around the world, the followers of Jesus Christ started associating strong and pleasant incenses with the deity of God and offered it as a sign of their endless devotion to the One Above.

These historical examples have not faded with the passage of time. Instead they have only flourished and thrived in their presence and importance. However the purpose of incense, which had a dominantly spiritual quality to it has altered over the years to a great extent. Although there are many people who still associate incense burning with religious spirituality and still use it for sacred purposes, the booming trade of incense has attached a more commercial meaning to it. Hence the only difference in past and present is, incense had a stronger spiritual side to its usage in the past while in the present it has a more commercial quality.