Offering Dhupam in any divine rituals is not just for fragrance. There is a scientific base for the practice of offering Dhupam as prescribed by our Vedas. Ingredients used in such Dhupam have certain medicinal values. The main ingredient used is Loban (Sambrani). This is a plant-based natural extract. Pure loban has a unique quality of cleansing the environment by killing all the invisible bacteria in the atmosphere, as well as triggering one protein in the human brain responsible for regulating mood swings naturally.

The increased use of chemically formulated products for Dhupam in the form of incense sticks or dhoop sticks, widely available in the market today, is harming our health as well as the environment. Chemicals in these products release harmful gases like benzene and carbonyl. The danger from using these chemically formulated products is much higher than the direct consumption of tobacco. In this hazardous scenario, many temples have stopped offering Dhupam or incense sticks in the Garbhalayam, leading to a cultural loss.

Hence, VVST has launched the project Arogya Dhupam with an objective to provide its own product, Pooja Natural Incense Sticks, free of cost to at least 50,000 temples every month to protect our tradition, health, and environment. This project was inaugurated by His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Tridandi China Jeeyar Swamy on the auspicious Maha Shivaratri day in 2021. Starting with 11 temples, VVST now supplies 12 packets of Pooja Natural Incense Sticks to over 900 temples in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, funded through market sales and support from like-minded donors. We are marching forward with dedication to achieve our target of reaching 50,000 temples in the coming years.