What is Gandhayukti, an ancient perfuming technique people used to ward off body odour?

The ancient art of making perfumes in India was not limited merely to mixing up sweet-smelling flowers or woods together. The Gandhayukti, contained in the Bṛhatsaṃhitā written by Varāhamihira, documents various recipes, ingredients, and procedures for the manufacture of perfumes and other odoriferous articles. This book is dated around the 5th- 6th centuries CE.

What is Gandhayukti and why was it important?

Gandhayukti is the technique of blending fragrant materials for making perfumes and cosmetics. Ancient Indian civilization used scent in their religion, culture, and daily life activities, and fragrant materials for worshipping, bathing, massaging, personal grooming, and so on. Other later texts such as the Gandhasāra by Gangādhara also link perfume making with religious worship.

What ingredients were used in ancient Indian perfumes?

The components were obtained mainly from plants and other sources found in nature. They consisted of roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, barks, woods, resins, and aromatics. The ingredients mentioned in the Bṛhatsaṃhitā include uśīra or vetiver, aguru, camphor, nāgapuṣpa, tagara, coriander, karcūra, and sandalwood. Some formulas use components that were also animal-based.

The recipes depended on specific mixtures. Verses 13 to 14 contain 16 types of aromatics that can be mixed according to different ratios. Such a system was known as Gandhārṇava, meaning an ocean of perfumes where many mixtures were possible. Some of the other procedures involved the mixing of spices and woods with honey, among others and subsequent heating and fumigation.

Gandhayukti was not confined to perfumes used personally. According to the custom, there are scented bathing preparations, oil for hair and body, mouth fresheners, scented toothpicks, and also deodorants. Verses 29 and 30 talk about concoctions using three ingredients out of nine, resulting in 84 varieties if mixed with sandalwood and other perfumes.

In the past, scented materials were employed in rituals and worship ceremonies, whereas fragrant products were linked to hygiene and pleasure. Thus, Gandhayukti does not treat perfume as an indulgence but as a well-thought-out aspect of the material culture of ancient India.

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