Attar is an
Arabic name for perfume. The art of making attar was first developed in the
north Indian town of Kanauj. It was later enhanced and developed by the
Mughals, when they brought in other different types of herbs and flowers from
Central Asia. Traditional
Indian attars making is a
painstaking work and requires great amount of expertise, craftsmanship and
patience. It often takes 80-100 Kg. of
flower petals to manufacture just 1 kg attar. It is a completely non-alcoholic
way of manufacturing fragrance, that’s last for a longer period of time,
compared to perfumes.
Amberi Shamama attars are
a unique type of attar, with multiple layers of fragrance embedded in them. Traditional Indian attars made from a
single base like Rose and Jasmine flowers, takes only 14-15 days of
distillation process to manufacture, whereas Amberi shamama attars take almost
60 days to obtain the same result. No
two shamama attars are identical, and each family making them, has a different
recipe, which is very unique, in spite of using the same ingredients. The
ingredients used in making Amberi
shamama attars, includes various types of spices, herbs and flowers. Most
of them have a very strong musky aroma symbolising the earth elements. Some of
them are however, quite light in their essence and are made from different
types of flowers.
Chameli attar is made from
the flowers of Jasmine, better known as Chameli in India, which is regarded as
the queen among all Indian flowers. These flowers are known for their wonderful
fragrance and are cultivated mainly in the northern part of India. The fragrance of this flower is slightly
spicy and is somewhat similar to that of clove.
The attar made from this flower is popular all over the world.
Champa is
another flower, which is a native of the Indian subcontinent and has a
beautiful feminine and soft aroma that is both enchanting and alleviating. Champa attar, besides being a wonderful
fragrance, is also known for its many medicinal benefits. This attar is sought
after by many aroma therapists, in order to treat patients suffering from
depression and mental anxiety. It helps to keep the skin smooth and remove fine
lines and wrinkles. In the field of medicine, the Champa attar is used to treat renal disease, vertigo and
gonorrhoea.
