Nitiraj Vishnu 25 grams

Patchouli and sandalwood, deep and earthy. Vishnu is the preserver of the Trimurti, the one who keeps the world going and returns in a new form whenever it tips too far, which is what an avatar is.

Burn it for keeping rather than starting. It suits protection work, a house you are trying to steady, and the ordinary maintenance that nobody writes rituals for.

How It Is Made

Nitiraj has been making incense in India since 1978 using a method that goes back centuries. Natural resins, herbs, spices and aromatic oils are worked into a base of honey and sandalwood powder, then rolled onto a bamboo stick by hand. A masala stick made this way stays soft to the touch rather than drying hard, and it burns slowly. Nitiraj is registered with the World Fair Trade Organization.

How to Burn It

Each stick burns for about an hour and the scent stays in the room for a good while after. Set it in a holder that catches ash, light the tip, let it flame for a few seconds, then blow it out and leave it to smolder.

These are made by hand from natural material in small runs, so the same blend can smell a little different from one box to the next. That is the nature of the thing rather than a fault.

Pair It With

If you burn through a box quickly, the rest of the line is worth having on the shelf: Buddha, Krishna, Nitiraj Original in the small box. A masala stick drops soft ash, so it wants a holder with a channel or a tray rather than a spike on a saucer. The Mango Wood Tree of Life ash catcher and the carved soapstone leaf both do the job. More in incense holders.