Mysore Agarbatti Incense Sandalwood Craft Palace Heritage

Mysuru (Mysore) is India's agarbatti (incense stick) capital, with over 5,000 cottage and small industry units in the district producing 75% of India's branded agarbatti using bamboo sticks, charcoal powder, aromatic woods, and floral essences sourced from Bengaluru and Kannauj. Mysuru's Government Sandalwood Oil Factory (established 1916) produces the world's finest steam-distilled sandalwood essential oil from Karnataka government-owned Mysore sandalwood (Santalum album) — the oil that defines the Mysore bouquet in global perfumery. The Mysore Palace — seat of the Wadiyar maharajas — is India's most visited heritage monument after the Taj Mahal, and its Dasara festival (10-day celebration with lit palace and golden chariot procession) draws over a million visitors annually.