The full puratan samagri from Dhoop, Jot & Shastar Maryada at Home, laid out as a scalable recipe. The card below defaults to the full traditional batch; drop it to 1 quarter for a small first attempt, or switch to Imperial units. For the Gurbani grounding, the jot, and the rest of the everyday darbar, read the full page, this one is just for measuring and mixing.

Traditional measures: 1 ਰੱਤੀ (ratti) ≈ 0.12 g · 1 ਮਾਸਾ (masa) = 8 ratti ≈ 0.97 g · 1 ਤੋਲਾ (tola) = 12 masa ≈ 11.66 g · 1 ਛਟਾਂਕ (chhatank) = 5 tola ≈ 58.3 g

4 quarters (4 = the full traditional batch; try 1 for a small first attempt)

Rare essences

  • ਕਸਤੂਰੀ ਭਿੰਡੀ kasturi bhindi (muskroot seeds)† (2 ratti)
  • ਕੇਸਰ saffron (4 masa)
  • ਮੁਸ਼ਕਪੂਰ mushakpur (musk camphor) (3 masa)
  • ਸੁੱਚੇ ਮੋਤੀ real pearl (powdered)‡, a pinch
  • ਬਦਲਵਾਂ ਮੁਸ਼ਕ ਅੰਬਰ musk amber accord (plant-based ambergris substitute)†, small amount

Woods, roots & barks

  • ਜਾਵਿਤ੍ਰੀ mace (1 tola)
  • ਦੇਸੀ ਜੌਂ desi barley (1 tola)
  • ਇੰਦਰ ਜੌਂ indarjau (kurchi seeds) (1 tola)
  • ਫੁਲ ਛਲੀੜਾ chharila / stone flower (lichen) (1 tola)
  • ਕਪੂਰ ਕਚਰੀ kapoor kachri (1 tola)
  • ਚੰਦਨ ਚਿੱਟਾ white sandalwood (1 tola)
  • ਚੰਦਨ ਲਾਲ red sandalwood (1 tola)
  • ਬਾਲਛੜ balchhad / jatamansi (spikenard) (1 tola)
  • ਭੋਜ ਪੱਤਰ bhojpatra (birch bark) (1 tola)
  • ਅਗਰ agarwood (oud) (1 tola)
  • ਤਗਰ tagar (Indian valerian root) (1 tola)
  • ਛੋਟੀ ਅਲੈਚੀ green cardamom (1 tola)
  • ਵੱਡੀ ਅਲੈਚੀ black cardamom (1 tola)

Nuts, seeds & grains

  • ਖੋਪਾ dried coconut (2 tola)
  • ਗਰੀ ਬਦਾਮ almond kernels (2 tola)
  • ਛੁਹਾਰੇ dried dates (2 tola)
  • ਖਸ khas (vetiver root) (2 tola)
  • ਧੂਪ ਲਕੜ dhoop wood (2 tola)
  • ਕਾਲੇ ਤਿਲ black sesame (2 tola)
  • ਚਿੱਟੇ ਤਿਲ white sesame (2 tola)
  • ਨਾਗਰ ਮੋਥਾ nagarmotha (2 tola)
  • ਬਾਸਮਤੀ ਚੌਲ basmati rice (3 tola)

Binding base

  • ਗੋਕਾ ਘਿਉ cow's ghee (3 chhatank)
  • ਦੇਸੀ ਖੰਡ desi khand (raw sugar) (2 chhatank)

Finishing fragrances

  • ਅਤਰ ਗੁਲਾਬ rose attar, few drops
  • ਬ੍ਰਹਮੀ ਖੁਸ਼ਬੂਦਾਰ fragrant brahmi, small amount
  • ਹਾਊ ਬੇਰ hauber (juniper berries), small amount
  • ਫੁਲ ਧਾਵੇ dhawa flowers, small amount
  • ਲੋਹਬਾਨ loban (benzoin resin), small amount
  • ਕਚੂਰ ਊਦ kachur (zedoary) with oud, small amount
  • ਦਾਲਚੀਨੀ cinnamon, small amount

† Kasturi and musk amber: the puratan recipe called for true deer musk, banned under CITES and India’s Wildlife Protection Act since the musk deer is endangered, and natural ambergris, likewise restricted in many countries. What’s listed above is the sevadar substitute in common use today, kasturi bhindi (muskroot seeds) and a plant-based musk amber accord, which fill the same role in the samagri without any loss of maryada. The seva lives in the sucham and the bhavna, not in a rare ingredient.

‡ Real pearl: included in the puratan recipe as a rare, auspicious addition, not because of any legal restriction. It’s genuinely optional, don’t let a missing item stop you, a dhoop of sandalwood, loban, khas and ghee made with sucham is complete seva.

Method

This is how traditional dhoop is still made by hand; the samagri above slots straight into it.

  1. Sucham first. Ishnaan, clean clothes, covered head, clean workspace. Puratan sevadars keep paath going, Mool Mantar or Japji Sahib, while the hands work.
  2. Dry everything fully. Sun-dry the woods, roots, seeds, flowers and barks until they snap rather than bend. Any residual moisture will mould the batti later.
  3. Grind and sieve. Powder all the dry samagri, traditionally in an iron (sarbloh) mortar or hand-mill, and sieve to a fine, even powder. Hard woods like chandan and agar go in as fine dust; resins (loban) can stay slightly coarse since they melt in the heat.
  4. Add the sweet base. Powder the desi khand into the mix, and grate the khopa, chhuhare and badam finely. Sugar and dried fruit are what make the smoke rich and slow; the ghee carries the fragrance.
  5. Bind with warmed ghee. Gently warm the ghee (never hot) and work it into the powder a little at a time, kneading until the mass holds together like a stiff dough. If it stays crumbly, add a few drops of rose water rather than more ghee, too much ghee makes the batti sputter.
  6. Finish with fragrance. Only once the dough is bound, work in the attar, kesar and the other finishing items, heat and long kneading would waste them.
  7. Shape. Roll finger-thick sticks (batti), small cones, or leave part of the batch as loose dhoop powder for burning on coals. Loose dhoop is the most puratan form, it is what the dhoop-dani and coals are for.
  8. Dry in shade. Lay the battis on a clean cloth in an airy, shaded place for two to four days. Direct sun bleeds out the volatile fragrances you just paid for in kesar and attar.
  9. Store airtight, away from moisture. Well-dried dhoop keeps for months and the fragrance deepens as it matures.

To burn: for loose dhoop, place a spoonful on live coals in a ਧੂਪਦਾਨੀ (dhoop-dani or loban burner) and carry it gently through the darbar so the fragrance reaches every corner. For a batti, light the tip and put the flame out with a wave of the hand, never with the breath.

ਭੁੱਲ ਚੁੱਕ ਮਾਫ਼, corrections from sangat are welcome. For the full significance of dhoop in Gurbani and puratan maryada, see Dhoop, Jot & Shastar Maryada at Home.