Kannauj, located in Uttar Pradesh (India) is known for its world famous perfumes production, specifically attar & sandalwood based organic essential oils. The town has a rich history and it was a capital during the time of emperor Harshavardhan, known for his kindness & sacrifice.
In last decade industry went through the tough time. In order to elevate the trade of attar, Ex chief minister Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, had announced the ambitious International Perfume Park. Though the inauguration of the center was done right before the UP assembly elections, yet the project hit a roadblock a year after due to the lack of fund.
Good Signs for Kannauj’s Attar Industry: Fragrance of Success
Event after the many hurdles, some recent stats might bring some good news for attar/ittar traders in Kannauj as in the last quarter industry has shown significant positive signs that are expected to stay.
Making attar & pure organic oils using traditional ways is an art that no modern machinery can beat. And a number of fragrances originated from India, including jasmine oils, sandalwood, and rose water, are used by luxury perfumeries around the world.
Key Factors that Are Helping the Industry:
Even after not being able to seek any significant support from state & centre governments, what has helped attar traders in tasting initial success is Media. Kannauj’s Mitti Attar, that was indeed invented years back, has been able to find its due recognition & media attention last year. This is a unique fragrance preserved by the perfumers in Kannauj that smells like rain.
Attars contain great attributes and are more beneficial than perfumes in several ways including longevity, natural fragrance, etc. Popular show “Yeh Mera India” on HistoryTV18 also featured the story of Kannauj’s Attar industry this year, which has helped the industry in terms of spreading awareness globally.
Apart from Media attention, Announcement of “International Perfume Museum” by then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has als brough some attention of global investors.