Sandalwood is the fragrant wood of trees in the genus Santalum, above all Santalum album, known in Sanskrit as chandana. Its scent runs through Hindu and Buddhist worship as incense, as paste and as prayer beads.
Why the wood is fragrant
Santalum album is a small tropical tree that is partly parasitic. Its roots attach to the roots of other plants and draw water and nutrients from them. Only the heartwood, in the trunk and the roots, is fragrant; the outer sapwood has little scent. The fragrance comes from an oil rich in santalol, and the roots hold the most of it. A tree usually needs about 30 years before its heartwood is thick enough to use. Sources differ on whether it is native to India or was introduced there from the islands of Indonesia.
Sandalwood in Hindu and Buddhist worship
In Hindu puja, sandalwood paste is applied to the image of the deity, and the powdered wood goes into the paste for Brahmin forehead marks. Buddhist texts reach for sandalwood when they speak of fragrance. The Dhammapada names sandal, tagara, blue lotus and jasmine, then says the fragrance of virtue is sweeter than them all. A well-known legend tells that King Udayana had a sandalwood image of the Buddha carved while the Buddha was away teaching in the Heaven of the Thirty-three. Tradition holds it was the first image of the Buddha.
Incense and mala beads
Ground heartwood is made into incense sticks that are burned in homes and temples. In China sandalwood was burned in censers during religious rites and carved into statues. Browse our incense for sticks and coils.
Sandalwood is a common material for mala beads, as is bodhi seed. If you are new to counting prayers on 108 beads, read how to use mala beads.
A tree under pressure
Demand has outrun this slow-growing tree. The IUCN lists Santalum album as Vulnerable because of overharvesting and trade. India banned the export of the timber, and Indian output fell from about 4,000 tonnes a year in the 1960s to about 350 tonnes in 2014.
Other species fill part of the gap. Australian sandalwood, Santalum spicatum, has been exported from Western Australia since 1844 and is used in incense and perfume. The name also travels to unrelated trees. Red sandalwood is a name for several Pterocarpus woods, above all Pterocarpus santalinus of southern India, valued for their deep red color. Green sandalwood is another borrowed name, used for the olive-green, fragrant wood of Bulnesia trees. Neither is related to Santalum.
Caring for sandalwood beads
Wood is softer than stone and soaks up water and oils. Take sandalwood bracelets off before you wash your hands, swim or shower. Let damp beads dry in the air, away from heaters and strong sun. Keep perfume and lotion off the beads, and store them in a cloth pouch.
Sandalwood at Buddha.store
The incense and the peach blossom bracelet are sandalwood. Our red and green sandalwood pieces are made from the borrowed-name woods above.
