Step Inside 200-Year-Old Perfume Shop in Kolkata Haji Khuda Bukhsh Nabi Bukhsh

Tucked away in the bustling, narrow lanes of Maulana Shaukat Ali Street lies a treasure that still quietly carries the scent of Kolkata’s past—Haji Khuda Bukhsh Nabi Bukhsh, the oldest perfume shop in Kolkata. Established in 1824, this hidden gem in Kolkata, Legacy Vyapar, has stood firm across centuries, serving traditional attars and floral waters with the same devotion it began with.

What makes this tiny store extraordinary isn’t just its 200-year-old existence, but the fact that the same family has operated it for eight generations. A legacy born in Lucknow and transported to Kolkata, the shop is known for its rich collection of attars, rose water, kewra, surma and even edible fragrances for biryani. They have catered to the likes of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, Motilal Lal Nehru, the father of Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and more, but the charm of this old-world shop lies not just in its client list, but in its unchanged aroma of time and tradition.

Bottles of Stories and the Secrets They Still Keep

It was a rainy weekday afternoon when we ducked into the old wooden doorway of Haji Khuda Bukhsh Nabi Bukhsh. The heady mix of musk, amber, rose, and sandalwood hit us the moment we stepped in, each breath a note in an age-old symphony. Tiny glass bottles lined every shelf. Some were labelled in ornate Urdu, others simply marked with faded names—Md. Ali Imam, the oldest employee with 40 years behind the counter, greeted us with a smile that spoke of memory. “Yahaan sab kuch wahi hai—bas samay badla hai. Hamara kaam toh wahi purana Lucknowi tareeka hai. Copper deg mein flowers, herbs daalte hain… steam nikal kar sandalwood oil mein jaata hai. Fir usko weeks tak age karte hain,” he explained, his hands gesturing about the process.

We couldn’t meet the current owner in person, but over the phone, Neyazuddin Allah Bukhsh shared details that felt like unbottling stories sealed for generations. “Our attar shop has been operational since 1824,” he began. “My grandfather brought our family business from Lucknow to Kolkata during the 80s. We used to stay in Baitakhana Bazaar and shifted our workshop from there to Rabindra Chandal area recently.”

What started as a modest family workshop grew into a name whispered with reverence in markets of Kolkata, Assam, Hyderabad, Orissa, Jharkhand and even overseas. The raw ingredients, we learned, come from all over India—Kannauj, Hyderabad, Bihar—and a few select oils are imported. “We mostly believe in homegrown materials. 90% of what you smell here is Indian soil,” said Neyazuddin Allah Bukhsh. 

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Their product range is vast—each bottle holds a story crafted from nature, pure, chemical-free, and deeply personal. Their offerings span floral classics like shamama, musk-amber, rajnigandha, chameli, bela, rose, henna, and sandalwood, all made using traditional distillation. These attars linger softly, allowing you to build a signature scent layered with history.

They also offer edible attars like biryani essence, essential oils, and distilled rose and kewra waters for culinary or cosmetic use. Surma, their handmade eyeliner, reflects their commitment to tradition. Unlike commercial perfumes, these natural scents soothe the skin, stay longer, and evolve uniquely on each wearer. “While people are moving to alcohol-based perfumes,” he said, “we’ve evolved without letting go. Some of our newer attars are reformulated to give that long-lasting perfume feel, but not overpowering. Like Hayati, Shahi Darbar, Atar Sabha and Chocolate Musk, which are quite popular among younger customers.”

Their price range starts at Rs. 300 for 12 ml, with curated gift boxes available for Rs. 1,000 and above. “We’ve had people come in whose dada or nana used to shop here. They tell us, ‘My grandfather brought me here as a kid, and now I’m buying for my son,’” Neyazuddin added. He recounted a day from his father’s memory, "We were told stories of visits by Subhash Chandra Bose, who loved rose and Rajnigandha attars, and even Rabindranath Tagore used to visit our shop frequently back then, and when I took charge one fine day A suited gentleman once visited the shop with two guards. The next day, the papers revealed it was Prof Nurul Hasan, then Governor of West Bengal.”

 A Scent That Refuses to Fade

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It’s not just the age of Haji Khuda Bukhsh Nabi Bukhsh that makes it stand out—it’s the way it still thrives in a world so quick to forget. In the era of sleek perfume counters and influencer-driven trends, this oldest attar shop in Kolkata remains a living archive of India’s olfactory heritage.

What makes it worth revisiting? It’s the gentle wisdom of an 8th-generation owner who still watches over his craft, the care that he wants to pass to the next generation. Neyazuddin said, “Aise purane business sirf usi kaam se tikte hain” he added. “We never diluted our process. That’s the secret. We’ve stayed original.” From serving national leaders to preparing daily-wear perfumes that appeal to modern youth, the shop has balanced change with tradition beautifully. And in doing so, it continues to bottle something timeless.