Badshahi Bagh and the rose fields of Haldighati

The garden at Haldighati that visitors ask about, why the fields around it are known for the Chaitri rose, and when to see them in bloom.

The short answer

Badshahi Bagh is a garden at Haldighati, the mountain pass in the Aravalli hills of Mewar about forty kilometres north of Udaipur. The land around it is known for growing the Chaitri rose — Chaitri Gulab, a Damask rose that flowers only for a few weeks in the month of Chaitra, around March and April. Those roses are what the valley’s gulkand, rose sharbat and rose water are made from.

Why it is called Badshahi Bagh

Badshahi means royal, or of the emperor, and bagh is a garden. Local tradition connects the garden with the Mughal side in the Battle of Haldighati of 1576 — it is often described as the place where the emperor’s forces camped. Like much of the lore around the battle, the details vary from telling to telling. What actually happened at Haldighati in 1576

The rose fields

What visitors notice today is the roses. The Chaitri rose is grown in fields across this part of the valley, and for its short season the air smells of it. It is picked by hand early in the morning, when the petals hold the most scent, and turned into the rose products the valley is known for. More on the Chaitri rose

What is made from the roses

• Gulkand — rose petals layered with mishri into a preserve
• Rose sharbat — a concentrate for cold drinks
• Rose water (gulab jal) — the steam distillate of the petals
Our own range is made in the Haldighati valley from the Chaitri rose, with no added colour, essence or preservative. A guide to Mewar’s rose products

When to visit

For the roses, come in Chaitra — roughly March to April — and go early in the day. Outside the season the garden and the pass are still worth the drive, and Haldighati pairs easily with Nathdwara on the same road. A practical guide to visiting Haldighati

Taking some home

If you are in Udaipur you can order online and collect from our shop in Bedla; anywhere else in India, we deliver for a flat ₹39. See all rose products