In the endless sands of the Thar desert which spans 2,00,000 sq km across India and Pakistan, the monsoon is a harbinger of revival. Langa musicians sing songs welcoming the meh, or the desert rain. It rejuvenates peacocks that dance amorously to show off their iridescent fans. The rain at Kaner, India’s first desert botanical resort located on the Jodhpur-Jaisalmer highway, is a sensory experience that celebrates the variety of the Thar. Above all the scent of the desert rains.
Kaner, another name for the Oleander flower, commonly known as the Desert Rose—is open from September to March for plant-based wellness experiences. Launched by Sapna Bhatia in 2021, it provides, perhaps, the first and only olfactory holiday in India.
Led by Esha Tiwari, a scent storyteller and the founder of Kastoor, a homegrown brand of modern ittars, a rainy stay is an aromatic experience at the resort. Tiwari explores scent memories, a historical storytelling of Indian scents, and the genesis of the scent-based wellness ecosystem. But why a scent-focused retreat during the monsoon? Tiwari says India was the centre of the world’s first scent-based wellness ecosystem, adding that specific tools are required to “understand our role in the larger cosmic scheme of human life and find a rhythm in sync with it”. “Scents are not just directly linked to memories that can be harvested to get closer to oneself. They also help to instantly stabilise the nervous system and body temperature,” she says.
Kaner is surrounded by an oran, or a sacred grove, and an ancient system of conservation in the desert. Animals here roam free and graze. Locals can forage, but no pruning and cutting trees are allowed. The result is a magnificent, unspoilt landscape in which desert flora grows abundantly and people and wildlife live in harmony. “During the rain, the desert ephemerals come out, covering the oran with a crisp, ethereal, verdant carpet. Being here is like paying a tribute to the spirit of the desert,” Bhatia says. She adds that the monsoon is the best time to visit Marwar and experience the scents of the desert.
