Chandan or sandal attar is well known for its aroma and cooling effect on human body. Sandal attar is used in worshiping deities by offering it as a smell by applying it on a cotton roll.

The sandal tree is highly regarded in the Vedic texts, and the heartwood is considered to be sacred. Sandalwood or chandan scents the whole of paradise with its fragrance. Sandalwood is considered the epitome of excellence, imparting fragrance even to the axe that cuts it. For this reason anything that is excellent is referred to as chandan. It is used in sacred ceremonies and to purify holy places. When used externally, it has a calming, cooling effect on body and mind. It helps relieve fever and burns, and stops excessive sweating. In general, it relieves and helps balance the body after overexposure to the sun. Sandalwood acts as a disinfectant, diuretic, expectorant and sedative. Sandalwood balances the circulatory, digestive, respiratory and nervous systems.

Sandalwood is an evergreen, parasitic tree that burrows its roots into other trees and it can grow up to 9 meters (30 feet) high and has a brown-gray trunk, many smooth slender branches, leathery leaves and small pink-purple flowers. It can take thirty to sixty years for a tree to reach full maturity. That is when it can be harvested and distilled.