Agarbatti” also known as “Incense Sticks” are made from aromatic plants and essential oils extracted from plants or animal sources. When lightened, they release fragrant smoke which is used in religious activities, prayers, therapeutic and aesthetic purposes. The name AGARBATTI has been derived from Agar wood which has been used for burning. Agar wood is from trees of the genus aqualaria that grow mainly from northeast India down into Southeast Asia. The wood is heavy, dark and hard. When the tree is infected by a group of fungi it creates a resinous oil (apparently to defend against this fungi) which has a deep, dark, rich, beautiful, woody aroma. The wood is used as incense for both pleasure and spiritual enhancement. The essential oil distilled from this wood (known as Oud in Arabic) is used for the same reasons as well as a perfume and medicine.

Frankincense: It is a resin derived from plant of Boswellia Serrata. Its principal use now is in the manufacture of incense. The word ‘incense,’ meaning originally the aroma given off with the smoke of any odoriferous substance when burnt, has been gradually restricted almost exclusively to Frankincense Agarbatti are made by blending several solid scented ingredients into a paste and then rolling that paste onto a bamboo core stick. These incenses usually contain little or no liquid scents. Incense fragrances can be of such great strength that they obscure other, less desirable odors. This utility led to the use of incense in funerary ceremonies because the incense could smother the scent of decay. Use of incense in religion is prevalent in many cultures and may have their roots in the practical and aesthetic uses considering that many religions with not much else in common all use incense. One common motif is of incense as a form of sacrificial offering to a deity.