THRISSUR: From now, even common people can use sandalwood for cremation rituals. The forest department is preparing a scheme to make Marayoor sandalwood available for cultural ceremonies at a reduced price. Powdered sandalwood chips in "brisket" form will be made available through the sales centers of the Forest Department. For 1kg, Rs 400 will be charged.

The brisket is prepared by separating and crushing the seeds of sandalwood. And this can be used in cremation rituals instead of depending on cow dung. Good quality sandalwood fetches Rs 17,000 to 20,000 per kg. Authentic sandalwoods are seldom used in such rituals while people often mistake the Akil tree for sandalwoods. The current reforms won't allow anyone to store more than 1 kg of sandalwood.

At present, Ayurvedic companies are buying Sandalwood for pharmaceutical manufacturing procedures. Sandalwood is divided into 15 classes on a quality basis, including Vilayat Buddha, China Buddha, Panjam, and Gotla. With the new reforms, the government is expecting at least Rs 1 crore in profits to reach the state coffers. Marayoor Sandalwood Reserve is the only natural sandalwood reserve in the country sprawling across ​​1,460.77 hectares.