THE FRAGRANCE OF SANDALWOOD

The wood with a divine smell

These small trees, with glossy green leaves and tiny scarlet flowers, are related to mistletoe and live off the roots of other trees. The harvested wood is yellowish, fine-grained, very aromatic, and, unlike other woods, has the distinction of retaining its prized fragrance for decades. 

A special paste called “Chandana” created from sandalwood is often used on the body, applied to the head, chest or neck either cosmetically or as part of a religious ceremony. The fragrant and sweet-smelling pastes of sandalwood are also very often used to worship the gods and goddesses.

There is an account connected with this tree wherein the Goddess Parvati (Shiva’s wife) created Lord Ganesha out of a sandalwood paste and breathed life into the figure. Sandalwood is also prized by Buddhists who use the scent in their own ceremonies and meditations. It is very often used to purify temples and holy places in both the Hindi and Buddhist faith.  Indian sandalwood is very sacred in the  Ayurveda and is known in Sanskrit as chandana. 

The wood is used for worshipping the god Shiva, and it is believed that goddess Lakshmi lives in the sandalwood tree. The wood of the tree is made into a paste using sandalwood powder, and this paste is integral to rituals and ceremonies, to make religious utensils, to decorate the icons of the deities, and to calm the mind during meditation and prayer. It is also distributed to devotees, who apply it to their foreheads or necks and chests. Preparation of the paste is a duty fit only for the pure, so is entrusted only to priests when used in temples and during ceremonies.

The paste is prepared by grinding wood by hand with granite slabs shaped for this purpose. With the gradual addition of water, a thick paste forms (called kalabham in the Malayalam language and gandha in Kannada) and is mixed with saffron or other such pigments to make chandanam. Chandanam, further mixed with herbs, perfumes, pigments, and some other compounds, results in javadhu. Kalabham, chandanam, and javadhu are dried and used as kalabham powder, chandanam powder, and javadhu powder, respectively. Chandanam powder is very popular in India and is also used in Nepal. In Tirupati after religious tonsure, sandalwood paste is applied to protect the skin. In Hinduism and Ayurveda, sandalwood is thought to bring one closer to the divine. Thus, it is one of the most used holy elements in Hindu and Vedic societies.

Sandalwood use is integral part of daily practices of Jainism. Sandalwood paste mixed with saffron is used to worship tirthankar Jain deities. Sandalwood powder is showered as blessings by Jain monks and nuns (sadhus and sadhvis) to their disciples and followers. Sandalwood garlands are used to dress the body during Jain cremation ceremonies. During the festival of Mahamastakabhisheka that is held once in every 12 years, the statue of Gommateshwara is then bathed and anointed with libations such as milk, sugarcane juice, and saffron paste, and sprinkled with powders of sandalwood, turmeric, and vermilion.  

Sandalwood is mentioned in various suttas of the Pāli Canon. In some Buddhist traditions, sandalwood is considered to be of the padma (lotus) group and attributed to Amitabha Buddha. Sandalwood scent is believed by some to transform one’s desires and maintain a person’s alertness while in meditation. It is also one of the most popular scents used when offering incense to the Buddha and the guru.