A trip to the perfume capital of India

The city of Kannauj is a little over 2 hours away from Kanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Even though it is an ancient city with a rich history, there is something else that may catch your fancy. The city is often regarded as the perfume capital of India. By this we don’t mean that you will find bottles of your favourite designer brands at a slashed price. Even better, you will find the indomitable attar. The regal perfume of the ancient world.
The city has a long history of making perfumes, with some experts estimating that the practice dates back to thousands of years. The art of attar is well-known here in the city. While perfumes use an alcohol base, attars are known to use essential oils, such as the traditional sandalwood oil. Interestingly, a 7th century biography of Indian emperor Harsha, called Harsha-Charit, has references to agarwood oil that was used in those days. The biography was written by Banabhatta.


The streets and market of Kannauj are busy, it will transport you back to a different time. Even though the end product is luxurious, the very sight of it being produced will not evoke any sense of luxury in you. You will have to make your way through the narrow lanes here, dodging mud and more in search for the right smell.
The famed rose attar that is produced here is often known as liquid gold. A kilogram will get you INR 218000.

City people travelling to Kanpur or Agra can very easily make a detour to go to Kannauj. There is nothing like getting your hands on some of this magical attar. It is a statement of royalty, and sophistication, something that you will not find in large malls.