Indian incense is known as agarbattī in Hindi (अगरबत्ती) and other Indian languages. India has a rich tradition of incense making that goes back millennia. Many Indian incenses have a unique scent that is not found in any other part of the globe.

A uniform and codified system of incense-making first began in India. Although Vedic texts mention the use of incense for masking odors and creating a pleasurable smell, the modern system of organized incense-making was likely created by the medicinal priests of the time. Thus, modern, organized incense-making is intrinsically linked to the Ayurvedic medical system in which it is rooted.

The oldest source on incense is the Vedas, specifically, the Atharva-veda and the Rigveda. Incense-burning was used both to create pleasing aromas and a medicinal tool. It's use in medicine is considered the first phase of Ayurveda, which uses incense as an approach to healing.

Incense-making was thus almost exclusively done by monks..The specific knowledge of incense as a healing tool was assimilated into the religious practices of the time - early Hinduism. As Hinduism matured and Buddhism was founded in India, incense became an integral part of Buddhism as well.

Around 200 CE, a group of wandering Buddhist monks introduced incense-making to China..

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