Sandalwood and Carrion: Perfume in pre-modern India – a class at the Institute for Art and Olfaction
Originally published April 23, 2013 We’re featuring a Guest Blogger today. Daniel Krasofski is a student of mine, and he is generously sharing a report on a class in pre-modern Indian perfumes he attended recently. The class was conducted by Professor James McHugh at the Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO) in Los Angeles. April 11, 2013, ‘Sandalwood and Carrion: Smell in Indian Religion and Culture’ Cover image from Sandalwood and Carrion book On Sandalwood – “You were born on the heights of Malabar, yet woodsmen found you and brought you to a distant land where men have ground you into scented ointment. Grieve not, sandalwood, my friend; it is your virtues have undone you.” From “Sanskrit Poetry from Vidyakara’s Treasury” Translated by Daniel Ingalls Greetings Natural Aromatics Community, Plant derived materials have been used as perfume and adornment for thousands of years, in every culture on almost every continent. These ancient cultures are heavily influencing some modern pe