Gir Kesar Mango
The saffron-coloured Kesar or Gir Kesar mango is a well-known variety of mangoes that is grown mainly in the territories near the foothills of mount Girnar and the famous Gir forest - a wildlife sanctuary - in Junagadh district of the state of Gujarat, India.
Kesar has received wider recognition globally as 'Gir Kesar' since it was granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in the year 2011. Kesar happens to be the 2nd variety of mangoes in India to have received the GI tag, with the only previous recipient being the Dussheri mango that is grown in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Approximate annual production of the Gir Kesar mangoes is two lakh (two hundred thousand) tonnes.
According to some historical information and sources, what is now widely recognized as the gir kesar mango was first grown in the year 1931 by the then Vazir (senior minister) of Junagadh Sale Bhai. On the other hand, some Jain scriptures authored by late Jainacharya (Jain scholar) Hir Vijay Suriji (contemporary of Akbar) are said to have cited kesar mango as far back as before the year 1652. The legend also has it that the day after Acharya Hir Vijay Suriji passed away, the mango trees in the surrounding areas sprouted with un-seasonal kesar mangoes.
Kutcch Kesar Mango
Also hailing from the state of Gujarat, from the desert district of Kutcch sharing a boarder with Pakistan, the Kutcch Kesar Mango is a mango variety that has made a name for itself not just in the domestic markets of India but also in the international markets.
The district of Kutcch, with its widely known desert - the rann of Kutcch - has a largely torrid climate round the year and therefore, the kesar mangoes that grow there have a special unique taste. Even the unripe and semi-ripe Kutcch kesar mangoes are yellowish rather than greenish in colour, readily inviting fruit and mango lovers in the first instance by way of their sight, then by smell, and finally, by the ultimate quality - taste.