The Scent of Rain: Centuries Old Perfume Technique in India

Petrichor is the unique, earthy smell that permeates the air when the first rain hits the parched ground after a long period of warm, dry weather. The pleasant cocktail of fragrant chemical compounds, some produced by plants, others produced by bacteria that live on the soil. When the bacteria die during periods of drought, they release a compound called geosmin which the human nose is extremely sensitive to. But the geosmin can’t get into the air until the first drops of rain splatter on the ground and eject the geosmin molecules from the soil. While researchers are only starting to understand the chemistry behind this wonderful fragrance, a small town in India – Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, has been capturing this smell in a bottle.

The ancient city by the river Ganges has been home to the perfume industry since the 7th century. Kannauj’s perfumes were famous among Mughal Emperors who ruled India for nearly 300 years. Each morning local farmers pick a variety of flowers such as rose, jasmine, champaca, lotus, ginger lily, gardenia, and dozens of others and deliver them to over two hundred perfume distilleries dotting the city. The flowers are mixed with water and heated in large copper vats called degs. The aromatic steam is then transferred via bamboo pipes to a receptacle containing sandalwood oil which acts as the base for the attar, or perfume. The perfume is then transferred into camel-skin bottles whose porosity allows the excess water to evaporate away, trapping the fragrance and the oil inside.

The centuries-old business is slowly losing customers as India’s brand-conscious youths are increasingly turning to cheaper, alcohol-based products. A 100-ml vial of Ruh Gulab (rose attar), for instance, costs Rs.1,000—about $14, but you can get synthetic rose fragrance for as low as Rs.100, or less than $1.50.
_{^{via Kaushik Patowary}}

Subscribe

Notify of

new follow-up comments new replies to my comments

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments