Ten years ago, I found myself in India, one of the few countries where goddess worship is still embraced. As a Westerner, and a woman, the concept of the divine feminine has always intrigued me and so I made straight for the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, the massive structure in South India dedicated to the Mother Goddess.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I found within its shadowy halls- acre upon acre of statuary and carvings of goddesses in every possible manifestation- from innocuous fertility goddesses to terrifying devis, wide-eyed, mouths seemingly dripping with blood…and everywhere the heavy, intoxicating scent of fresh jasmine or ‘mallige’, for which Madurai is famous throughout the subcontinent and the world.

However, I soon discovered that not all jasmine is equal- in fact, never again did I find any to rival that grown in Tamil Nadu…until I stumbled upon a sample of Bulgari’s Jasmine Noir.

The scent immediately triggered vivid memories of Meenakshi and the dark figures within, dancing their eternal dance…the flower so perfectly suited to the temple…essentially feminine, simultaneously alluring and disturbing…Bulgari’s Carlos Benaim and Sophie Labbe have somehow captured this contradiction perfectly.

–Leslie Robinson, Guest Contributor

Editor's Note; Kama is the Hindi Deity who is the Goddess of Jasmine.