Oh, this is fascinating. I don't remember where I got this from, but it is available online in the UK for around a £1 or £2 including postage. It is made by Ambica Agarbarthies of Andrha Pradesh, who were founded in 1946.
It has a number of uses, including drying hair. It is a little smoky, as are most dhoops. This is a dry dhoop, with a lot of charcoal, so it does get hot, and it is best used in a stable holder, or placed in the middle of a large dish so if it falls over it won't be a danger. The scent is totally fascinating - quite musky and woody and oily and rich and deep. There are notes of petrol, which I've had before with some thick dhoops, and bits of plastic, but these are interesting notes, not offensive.
Date: July 2017 Score: 38
I just burned some Hari Om Sambrani which reminded me of this Ambica Sambrani - so I dug it out to have a comparison. Oooh, this is good. It has a deep, rich pine resin scent that is quite intense and natural.
Date: Jan 2018 Score: 39
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| Spiritual/Ritual Incense |
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Ambica Agarbathies is known for their Green colored, Herbal Ambica Darbar Bathi. I remember ITC Mangaldeep and Cycle Making Durbar Bathies but both of them got discontinued. It is famous in the regions of Andhra and Telengana which are Telugu Speaking states, It is so famous that even the Chief Minister of Telengana said the tagline of the Ambica which is ‘Bagvantuniki bhaktuniki anusandhanamainadi’ which means a link between the god and devotee in Telugu. I have tried only one incense from Ambica which is their Ambica Heaven incense. I quite liked it. It is a nice floral, herbaceous perfumed masala incense. I have their original Durbar Bathi, Vanilla Darbar Bathi and Sandal Durbar Bathi on my list now.
ReplyDeleteWhat is a "durbar bathi"?
DeleteTbh, I’m not sure what is meant by a Durbar Bathi. From my understanding, a Durbar Bathi is an incense made from herbal ingredients. It may also be a marketing term for another masala or flora bathies, since all of the masala and floral bathies are said to be natural or herbal. I’m also not sure how this term became prevalent and who might be the one to coin it, perhaps Ambica, because they are famous for it and there were many makers who try to mimic the style of it.
DeleteOooh. I want that now. I see it is marketed as having a blend of 63 herbs! Golly - I didn't even know there were that many herbs! I suppose herbs means plants?
DeleteI’m also curious to try this. They have released a short which tells about some of their 63 Ayurvedic herbs they use- https://youtube.com/shorts/WuHMlDEKYA8?feature=shared
DeleteThis video is in Telugu, but since I know Telugu, I can tell you some of the herbs they mentioned in the video- Agarwood, Vetiver, Nama Mamidi (false ashoka), Talispatra (East Himalayan fir), Patchouli Leaves, Rose Petals, Koshtam (Crepe Ginger), Ambar Beeja (I am not sure what it is), Gum Damar and Cinnamon. I can also recognize some herbs in the picture they shown, like Bay Leaves, Star Anise, Cardamom Benzoin and dried Orange peels.
Ah. By "herbs" they mean "fragrance ingredients" - though not all the ingredients are fragrant: gum damar is not. I think it's there purely because it's on the Ayurvedic list.
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