Sacred Sandalwood Incense Sticks - Mysore

The Sacred recipe draws on a specific heartwood selection - older trees, denser wood - combined with a heavier binder ratio than the Royal or Golden grades. The result is a denser, slower-burning stick with a more sustained release. The workshop's family has carried the proportions through three generations of makers; the formulation predates the current owner's grandfather.

1. Hold the tip to a flame until it catches (5–10 seconds).
2. Blow the flame out so the stick smoulders.
3. Place in an incense holder on a heat-safe surface.
4. The first three minutes carry a creamy-woody opening; the burn deepens into resinous warmth.
5. Allow ash to cool fully before clearing.

Burns for approximately 30–40 minutes per stick. Ventilate the room as the burn progresses.

• Botanical: Santalum album
• Recipe: Heritage formulation - three-generation workshop recipe
• Origin: Mysore region, Karnataka, India
• Source name: candana (Sanskrit) · srigandha (Kannada)
• Form: Hand-rolled stick · no bamboo core · ~10cm
• Quantity: 35
• Burn time: ~35–45 minutes per stick
• Dominant compounds: α-santalol · β-santalol · sesquiterpenes
• Storage: Cool, dry, away from light

Sandalwood has been documented in continuous use across the Indian subcontinent for at least three thousand years - named in the earliest Sanskrit texts (the Atharva Veda, c. 1000 BCE), catalogued in Roman trade records (the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, 1st century CE), and central to Khaleeji and Levantine perfumery from at least the 7th century onward. Few aromatic materials in continuous use have crossed so many trade traditions without interruption.