Which city is famous for gulkand in India?
Which city is famous for gulkand? Pushkar and Haldighati in Rajasthan are the best known; Kannauj is famous for rose water and attar. Here is how they differ.
The short answer
In India, gulkand is most closely associated with Rajasthan, and two places in particular: Pushkar in Ajmer district and Haldighati in Mewar, near Udaipur. Both are rose-growing areas. Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh is famous for roses too, but mainly for attar and rose water rather than gulkand.
Pushkar
Pushkar, the temple town by the lake in Ajmer district, is widely known for its rose fields and its gulkand. Visitors to Pushkar often bring back gulkand and rose products from the town. It is probably the name most people have in mind when they ask which city is famous for gulkand.
Haldighati
Haldighati is not a city but a mountain pass in the Aravalli hills of Mewar, about 40 km north of Udaipur, in Rajsamand district near the town of Khamnor. It is best known for the battle of 1576, and, locally, for its roses. The rose grown here is the Chaitri rose, Chaitri Gulab, a Damask rose that flowers for a few weeks in Chaitra, around March and April. The valley’s gulkand, rose sharbat and rose water are made from it. What is Haldighati? · The Chaitri rose
Kannauj
Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh is famous as India’s perfume town, known for attar, traditional natural perfume, and for rose water. Roses there go mainly to the still rather than into gulkand jars. If you are looking for rose water or attar, Kannauj is the name you will hear; for gulkand, Rajasthan is the usual answer.
What makes Haldighati gulkand distinctive
Three things set gulkand from the Haldighati valley apart, at least as we make it:
• The rose. It is made from the Chaitri Damask rose of the valley, which flowers only for a short spring season.
• The method. Petals are layered with mishri and left in the sun rather than cooked, which keeps more of the flower’s scent. Sun-cured gulkand vs cooked rose jam
• The ingredients. Just rose petals and mishri: no added colour, essence or preservative.
Does the place matter?
Less than the method and the ingredients list. A good gulkand from any rose-growing area will be dense with petals, deep brownish-red rather than bright pink, and list only petals and sugar or mishri. A poor one can come from a famous town. Read the label wherever it is from. How to choose a good gulkand
Buying gulkand from Haldighati
You can order our Rose Gulkand or Kesar Elaichi Gulkand online with delivery anywhere in India for a flat ₹39; see the product page for today’s price. Shop all rose products
Buy from the Haldighati valley
- Rose Gulkand — Sun-cured Damask rose petal preserve. 470 g, ₹449.
- Kesar Elaichi Gulkand — Rose gulkand with saffron and green cardamom. 470 g, ₹549.
- Rose Water — Steam-distilled Damask hydrosol. 200 ml, ₹249.