Nado Poizokhang
"the Bhutanese Art of Incense" - the Significance, Use & Making of Incense
About US
I offer the massive clouds of incense imbued with the fragrance of excellent breathtaking perfume. -Shantideva-
Our incense is produced manually according to the highest standard of traditional incense making, using entirely organic ingredients.
The burning of incense or poe is a very popular facet of Himalayan Buddhist culture. With its origin in Indian Buddhist rituals of offering smell (gandhapuja) and the ancient Bon smoke-offering (sang), the use of incense has a long history and deep cultural and religious significance. In its most mundane sense, incense embodies the essence of pleasant smell, one of the five objects of sensual pleasure.
It is considered as a substance which stimulates the senses to bring physical pleasure and mental tranquility. In its ultimate form, incense symbolizes the purity and perfection of all objects of olfactory sense and is personified in the form of the female goddess Dugpoema. From a village shanty to a grand state temple, the offering of incense and smoke constitutes a very common and essential practice, performed daily for various purposes.
Incense as an offering
The burning of incense is generally practiced as a ritual of offering. Every morning at sunrise, billows of smoke ensue in front of every Bhutanese village house to mark the offering of incense and smoke. In all temples and shrine rooms, incense is also burnt regularly in specially designed censers and incense stick holders.