Pushkar Temple – Swastik

I purchased Swastik in late 2023 as part of a bundle from Kleinanzeigen; it was an opened pack. When new, it likely would have been a 50g bundle containing about 35-40 sticks. There’s an English eBay shop called Pilgrimbazaar that sells Pushkar Temple sticks, though I couldn’t currently find Swastik in their selection. Other 50g bundles are priced at £3.56 (€4.10) there (plus shipping and possibly customs fees). Additionally, there’s an option to order Pushkar Temple products directly from India through this Instagram profile. The minimum order quantity is one kilogram, which corresponds to 10-20 bundles. The seller is a Kazakh named Pavel, who is very friendly and writes in good English.

Swastik has a very soft, powdery, and simultaneously creamy scent with a floral character that I can’t quite pinpoint. Compared to other Pushkar Temple scents, I find Swastik more restrained (meaning, not overwhelmingly intense), and it lacks the unpleasantly pungent note I’ve detected in many of these incense sticks.
The sweetness merges with all present aspects, so there’s nothing I can distinctly pick out, though occasionally, it combines with the woody base in an odd way, creating a funny, burnt note somewhere between smouldering wood and caramel.
Though, the after-scent is quite pleasant, and after a while, it begins to remind me of Tuberose.

I’m writing this review on what’s likely one of the last reasonably warm days of 2024, and the cooler air seems to enhance the scent. Previous notes I took in summer described Swastik as dry and slightly pungent.

With Swastik, I’m again arriving at the conclusion that the style of this manufacturer simply isn’t for me, even for scents I tend to perceive positively. Those seeking a second opinion can find one on the pages of the Olfactory Rescue Service.