IncenseInTheWind The Incense Hunter: Bangalore Babes (Incense Houses in the Incense Capital of India)

Thursday, 12 June 2025

Bangalore Babes
(Incense Houses in the Incense Capital of India)

Bangalore (officially Bengaluru since 2014) is the capital of the South India state of Karnataka (which roughly replaced the state and kingdom of Mysore in 1956).

It was founded in 1537 as Bengaluru, though there has been human activity and settlement in the area since 4000 BC. It was ruled by several empires until the British captured it in 1791, though allowing the Maharaja of Mysore to continue to administer and rule it under their control. Two cities developed - Bengaluru Pete, occupied by the native Kannada people, and Bangalore Cantonment, occupied by the British and Tamils. This duality is reflected in the languages - the official and most common language is Kannada, while educated and business language is English. The city has developed into one of the most productive and commercially successful in India, becoming one of the most important cities in the world. It has a particular focus on information technology, and is known as the Silicon Valley of India, and the Biotech Capital of India. But, as part of the Mysore/Karnataka state, it is also regarded as the Incense Capital of India. There are approximately 500 incense houses of varying size in Bangalore.

Here are some of the 500 Bangalore incense houses that I have reviewed.

Masala (mostly) houses