Vrandavan Bazaar – Hari Leela

These sticks come from my friend Silver.

Vrindavan Bazaar isn’t really a brand but an online shop in India that ships worldwide.
Since the manufacturers aren’t named, though, I’m listing them under this name.

Steve (Incense in The Wind) has also ordered from there; here you’ll find the overview of his reviews.

I can’t currently find the Hari Leela variety in the shop. They’re 9″ (approximately 23cm) long sticks.

Hari Leela are less intense than Saffron, but nevertheless quite potent. I find a slightly indolic note in them as well, but it isn’t so predominant that it would remind me of the smell of a heavily frequented toilet, like with Saffron.

The fragrance is powdery, sweet and slightly floral, but also has a rather tart, dark aspect with woody and earthy hints. It’s a sweet and spicy chypre theme; if I recall correctly, not dissimilar to the smell of Vijayshree – Darshan.
Further, I see a vague similarity to Little Woods by Shroff, which the Hari Leela sticks also resemble visually (only the colouring of the bamboo stick is different.)
In direct comparison with each other, though, the two varieties clearly stand out from one another: Little Woods have a strongly pronounced, foresty conifer aspect that’s completely absent in Hari Leela. Hari Leela, in return, are much more musky than those.

I think that I recognise some patchouli in Hari Leela, perhaps also vetiver; both have an earthy tone. Patchouli sometimes resembles the spiciness of cinnamon for me, which probably comes from a combination with certain other ingredients, and so it is here.
Furthermore, there might be a trace of something like oakmoss.

As far as floral notes are concerned, I’m still not particularly good at identifying them, but Hari Leela certainly inherit florality as well.

Hari Leela aren’t quite the right thing for me, but I’m fairly certain that lovers of strong, ‘typically Indian’ fragrances will be pleased with them.