6 am
Mist, then birds
The fog sits on the fields until the sun burns it off. Kingfishers first, then everything else.
Farmstay & farm kitchen · Rahatgarh, Madhya Pradesh
Come and do nothing, beautifully.
A family farm outside Rahatgarh. Rooms off a lamplit courtyard, lunch from the fields, a canal along the back, and nowhere you need to be.
100%solar, around the clock
FastWi-Fi, with failover
EVcharging overnight
3 kmRahatgarh Fort; the waterfall at 4
The Raahat Sanctuary
A working family farm, with a few rooms for guests, a kitchen fed by the fields, and a canal running along the back.
Families coming back to the land. People who work from anywhere. Anyone using Madhya Pradesh as a slow base for its forts and stupas. Everyone sits down to the same lunch.
Our story, and the bird we named it for
What's happening these days
Coming later? Pick your months.
Right nowDecember to January
Mist on the fields until nine, and a bonfire by eight.
The coldest, clearest weeks of the year. Wheat and chana stand green, the mustard is in flower, and the evenings belong to the fire.
On the table
- Fresh wheat rotis and bati-dal by the fire
- Guava, ber and amla straight off the trees
- Physalis the children pick themselves
- Green chana roasted on the coals (hola)
- Mustard greens and fresh turmeric from the field
Around the farm
- Mustard in yellow flower along the fields
- Egrets behind the plough, winter birds on the canal
- Marigolds out in the courtyard
- The cows out on the lawn in the sun
Come for
- Sigri and bonfire: corn, carrots and peas on the coals
- Birding mornings, the best of the year
- Cold, clear, star-dark nights
- Marigold dyeing, and bread at the fire
- The fort and waterfall walk, in the cool
Weather, and what to bring
24°days
8°nights
Misty until mid-morning, warm in the sun by noon, cold once the sun goes.
Bring A proper sweater and a shawl for the fire. Every room has 24-hour hot water.
Right nowFebruary to March
The wheat turns gold, and the mango trees come into flower.
Warm days, cool nights, and the harvest: chana comes in first, then the wheat, and the chakki runs on the new grain. The last of the winter birds, the first of the summer fruit.
On the table
- Physalis (rasbhari) at its peak
- Mulberries off the tree in March
- Rotis from wheat cut and milled this week
- Fresh besan from the chana harvest
- Papaya, and the last of the guava
Around the farm
- Chana harvested, then the wheat, and the chakki runs
- Mango blossom on every tree in the orchard
- Gourds, greens, tomatoes and marigolds being sown
- Holi falls in these weeks
Come for
- Watch the harvest, and take home flour from it
- Cyanotype sun-prints in the strongest, clearest sun
- Flower printing and the botanical diary, with spring flowers
- The last cool birding mornings before the migrants leave
- Evenings still cool enough for the fire
Weather, and what to bring
30°days
14°nights
Dry and clear. Pleasant in February; warm afternoons by the end of March.
Bring Light layers, a hat for the afternoons, and something warm for the evening.
Right nowApril to June
Mango season. Long evenings, cool rooms, cold sherbet.
The hot months. Mornings and evenings are for the orchard and the fields; the middle of the day is for a cool room and a long lunch. The trees are heavy with mango by May, and the fireflies come out just before the rains.
On the table
- Mangoes picked ripe from the orchard, May and June
- Cold sherbets and cucumber all afternoon
- Raw-mango pickle put up in April
- Mango jam cooked in small batches
- Jamun off the trees in June
Around the farm
- Gulmohar and siris in full flame
- The fields rest, or carry a quick crop of moong
- Mango slices and chillies drying in the sun
- Fireflies over the fields before the rains, the first storms in June
Come for
- Pick your own mangoes at first light
- Cook a batch of mango jam or raw-mango pickle, and take a jar home
- Cyanotype sun-prints, at their deepest blue
- A chair in the shade of the courtyard, and the AC when you want it
- Fireflies over the fields in June, just before the rains
Weather, and what to bring
40°days
26°nights
Dry heat. Be outdoors early and late; the first storms arrive in the second half of June.
Bring Cotton, a hat and a water bottle. The rooms are air-conditioned, and the solar never drops.
Right nowJuly to September
Green everywhere, corn on the sigri, and the waterfall in full flow.
The rains turn the farm green in a week. Soybean and maize go in, the canal runs full, and the insects, frogs and nesting birds make it the loudest, liveliest season of the year.
On the table
- Corn roasted on the sigri, with lime and salt
- Appe off the sigri and chai on the verandah while it rains
- Karonda picked red from the bushes, and its jam
- Dragon fruit, and bananas from our own clumps
- The first custard apples in September
Around the farm
- Soybean and maize sown and standing in the blocks
- The canal full and fast, the fields under mist on cool mornings
- Butterflies, dragonflies and chrysalises everywhere
- Nests in the hedges, frogs after dark
Come for
- Rahatgarh waterfall at full force, four kilometres away
- A macro day on the insects: these are the weeks for it
- Roast your own corn on the sigri
- Pick karonda, and cook a jar of jam with us
- A walk to the canal in the rain, and the botanical diary with monsoon leaves
Weather, and what to bring
29°days
23°nights
Showers most days, often in the afternoon. Green, humid, and cooler than you expect.
Bring A light raincoat, sandals that can get wet, and mosquito repellent. The farm is on the highway, so the road is fine in the rains.
Right nowOctober to November
The sky clears, the custard apples ripen, and the wheat goes in.
The kindest weeks of the year. Clear skies come back in October, the kharif harvest comes in, the fields are ploughed and sown with wheat, and the evenings cool enough for the first fires.
On the table
- Custard apples softening on the branch, picked the same day
- Star fruit, ripe and yellow
- Fresh maize from the harvest, and the last dragon fruit
- Papaya every morning
- The winter greens being sown for December
Around the farm
- Soybean and maize harvested; the fields ploughed for wheat
- Egrets behind the plough, in flocks
- The canal still full from the rains
- The first winter migrants arrive on the canal in November
- Diwali falls in these weeks
Come for
- Pick custard apples and star fruit yourself
- The Milky Way and the clearest star skies of the year
- Help sow the wheat, and come back in March to see it cut
- The first bonfires, corn from the harvest on the coals
- Perfect walking weather for the fort, the waterfall and Eran
Weather, and what to bring
30°days
16°nights
Clear and dry, cooling by the week. Warm days, cool evenings by November.
Bring A light jacket for the evenings, and a torch for the walk to the fire.
The rooms
All rooms, rates and packagesThree rooms now, from ₹1,600 a night.
Premium
The Premium Room
Twice the size of a Deluxe, with a work-and-lounge corner, an armchair and an en-suite bath.
From₹3,500/ night
Deluxe
The Deluxe Rooms
Two rooms off the lamplit courtyard. AC, Wi-Fi, TV and 24-hour hot water; interior photographs are coming.
From₹1,600/ night
Every room, every night
- Air-conditioned, with 24-hour hot water
- Power from our own solar, around the clock
- Fast Wi-Fi, with a failover line
- Home-cooked meals, pre-booked so they are hot when you arrive
- An extra mattress or a cot for children; a hall for groups
- EV charging overnight, beside the guest wing
A day here
Nothing happens, roughly in this order.
9 am
Walk the blocks, pick what's ready
Papaya, custard apple, mulberries, chillies. Whatever the season is doing.
1 pm
Lunch
A thali that was still growing this morning. There is no menu; the season writes it.
4 pm
Do nothing
A chair under the mango tree. Wi-Fi if you must; a book if you're wise.
8 pm
Bonfire, corn, stars
Corn on the coals, and a sky with no town underneath it.
Find your way around
The estate, drawn from its own map.
Every building, gate and field, with this season's crop standing and the cows somewhere in the middle. The light is the real sun over Rahatgarh, right now. Tap a tag, jump to a spot, or see it at night.
What's here
Eight reasons to stay a little longer.
01StayThree rooms now, two more on the way, and a hall. AC, hot water, and power that never drops.
02Farm TableHome-cooked, seasonal, and mostly from within sight of the kitchen.
03ExperiencesBirding, macro photography, bread, soap, dyeing. Everything you make is yours.
04Slow livingNo schedule, star-dark skies, and an Unplugged Stay if you want to switch off.
05NearbyA fort at three kilometres, a waterfall at four; UNESCO Sanchi by lunch.
06Pantry shopJams, pickles, wood-pressed oils and flours, from the same fields.
07Team retreatsThe whole place for your team, carbon-light and tree-positive.
08Our storyThe farm, the family, and the bird the Sanctuary is named for.
The residents
The cows, a calf, and a few hundred birds who never check out.
Kingfishers on the canal, rollers over the fields, egrets behind the plough. The Indian Paradise Flycatcher visits for a few days a year, which is how the farm got its name.
Why we named it for a bird
How booking works
Three messages, and the room is yours.
1
Tell us your dates
Message us on WhatsApp with your dates and who is coming. We read and reply ourselves.
2
We send what is free, and a price
The room, meals if you would like them cooked for you, and a car if you are planning a day trip.
3
Say yes, and come
We hold the room, plan your meals around the season, and send you the directions.