Excavations at a newly discovered sector of the Kunal-style Harappan site in Gujarat's Banaskantha district have yielded an intact industrial distillery. Archaeologists found complex terracotta retorts and cooling basins, alongside several sealed clay vials containing organic residues of floral and resinous extracts.
Initial chemical analysis suggests the Harappans were producing concentrated oils from jasmine and frankincense, likely for both ritualistic use in Sanatan-precursor fire altars and for export to Mesopotamia. This discovery provides the earliest known evidence of sophisticated chemical distillation in South Asia.