Garden superintendent Abdus Salam tends to the saplings at Raj Bhavan on Thursday. (Hardeep Singh)

The fragrance of Faizabad has travelled more than 600km to offer roseville Raj Bhavan an olfactory feast.

The 50-acre lavishly manicured gardens of Jharkhand’s first family, which so far boasted only visual delight with nearly 300 varieties of hybrid roses, is now being regaled by the shahi scent of Gulab Bari, the historical gardens in the first capital of the Nawabs of Awadh.

Around 700 saplings handpicked from Gulab Bari have been planted in Raj Bhavan’s rose garden to give elegant company to its already beautiful bed of 12,000 roses.

“Not that our sprawling gardens didn’t blush with roses before, but what makes Gulab Bari’s flowers stand apart is their amazing fragrance. Hybrid roses lack such essence,” Governor Syed Ahmed said, adding that he was mulling commercial production of roses at Raj Bhavan given the moderate and favourable climatic conditions of Ranchi.

Established in the 18th Century, Gulab Bari in Faizabad houses the maqbara (mausoleum) of Shuja-ud-Daula, the third Nawab of Oudh (now Awadh). “Fresh roses from this garden are used to pay tribute at tombs, dargahs and even temples in Ayodhya. Hybrid roses are never used to pay religious obeisance,” said Raj Bhavan’s garden superintendent Abdus Salam.

On March 17, Salam visited Faizabad to personally select the saplings. “The gardens are both majestic and mesmerising. The fragrance makes you feel like heaven. These roses are the ones used to make ittar, incense sticks and also gulkand because of their aroma and the fact that they are edible. People who visit Faizabad must never miss Gulab Bari,” he said.

A fellow gardener piped in about how Gulab Bari roses also had the power of rejuvenation. “You close your eyes, draw a deep breath and the heady fragrance reaches your blood. You feel alive in an instant. The fragrance travels great distances and is very long-lasting,” he said.

“Tabhi toh isse pholon ka raja kahte hain (That is why it called the king of flowers),” Salam smiled.

He added that the rose saplings were first treated in the Raj Bhavan green house for a month to assess whether they could survive changed conditions.

“A week ago, we planted them across the garden. Currently, they are young (buds) and yet smell so good. Wait till the flowers bloom and you will scent Raj Bhavan from a distance,” the veteran gardener said.

So, the next time you pass by Raj Bhavan, remember the roses.