The old surviving perfumery tradition of the country with its epicentre in the city of Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, finds tangible expression in other major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Hyderabad, in their in-built commercial spaces. Kannauj, Located near the confluence of the Ganga and Kali rivers, Kannauj has been home to a thriving perfume industry since the days of Harshavardhana, who ruled north India between 606 and 647 AD. Later, Kannauj provided perfumes and scented oils to the Mughal emperors.
Even today, itr is made using the ancient deg bhapka method—the traditional way of extracting oil from flower petals through steaming and distillation—a process that is largely environment friendly.
The process is eco-friendly and there is no waste
The MOST interesting aspect of itr is that its manufacturing process has not changed since ages. "Simply put, itr manufacturing is a play of water and fire, and almost all the other raw materials are natural. There are primarily two kinds of itrs—floral (rose, bela etc), and herbs (sugandh mantri, cardamom, clove etc)—and the flavours are extracted directly from flower petals or herb plants. Itrs are manufactured using a hydro distillation process that are fired through dung cakes or wood.
Traditionally, sandalwood is used as the base oil. But none of the oil is wasted. The equipment used in manufacturing process is made of copper or bamboo sticks. And alcohol is not used in the production process. Not only is the process green, even the byproduct is recycled. For example, the used rose or sandalwood petals and even the burnt wood are consumed by the agarbatti (incense sticks) industry. Even the water that is drained after itr is made is so clean that local workers often take a bath in the water that is drained after the process.
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