A modern mossy woods scent to evoke walking through the temple complex during the green season at Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

A tapestry of scents; lush greenery, ancient and verdant moist woods, moss covered centuries old carved (sand)stones with undertones of humid, rooty damp soil and the encroaching jungle.

The majestic trunks and root systems of the silk-cotton, thitpok, and banyan trees thrive and strangle everything in their path; the rain soaked bas-friezes of the deities and celestial spirits are not exempt.

The force of nature is felt everywhere. In the courtyard ponds and surrounding moat, blue water lilies and sacred lotus flowers flourish. In the darkest and dampest of corners, soft moss grows, yet in the drier areas, shrines offer a sacred reprieve from the natural world. Here (wo)man has made it theirs. The scent of incense mingles with the jasmine ‘pum melei’ garlands hung around the necks of the Buddha statues, along with those of the offerings of rice, fruits and floral displays of tuberose, ylang ylang and Himalayan night jasmine.

As time passes, the scent deepens, transforming into something richer and more mysterious, becoming softer and creamier like aged sandalwood carved deities. 

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