The Karnataka mango season is twelve weeks long, and most Bengaluru households waste the first three of them. They wait until "everyone is talking about mangoes" — usually the first week of May — and miss the entire early-season window when the most interesting varieties are at peak.
This is the field calendar. What is ripening when, what is at peak, what to order in any given week of the season, and what to skip.
The big picture
| Variety | Bucket | Window | Peak | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sindoora | Early | Mid March – Late April | Early April | First mango of the year. Bright, tart, gone by mid-April. |
| Banganapalli | Early | Early April – Late June | Mid May | The workhorse. Mild, dependable, longest window. |
| Raspuri | Mid | Mid April – Mid June | May | The juice queen. Karnataka's defining variety. |
| Badami | Mid | Late April – Mid July | Late May | Karnataka Alphonso. Same fruit, half the price. |
| Alphonso | Mid | Early April – Mid June | Early May | The brand. 2026 crop is short and expensive. |
| Mallika | Late | Mid June – Late August | Mid July | The connoisseur's mango. Closes the season. |
Week by week
Weeks 1–3 (Mid March to early April)
The season opens with Sindoora — small, blush-red, the first mango in any Karnataka mandi. Prices are high (₹400–500/kg) because supply is tiny and the variety only lasts a few weeks. If you want to taste the first mango of the year, this is the window. After mid-April, Sindoora is gone.
Also starting this week: the first raw mangoes for Mavinakaayi Chitranna and aam panna. Any firm green mango works; the Sindoora that is too unripe to eat is perfect for these dishes.
Order this week: Sindoora (1.5kg box), or a kilo of raw mangoes for chitranna.
Weeks 4–6 (Early April to late April)
Banganapalli appears in the first week of April. The early Banganapalli is firm, slightly less sweet than peak, but reliable and abundant. Alphonso also lands this week from Belgaum — the Karnataka-grown Hapus that is the same variety as Konkan Alphonso at half the price.
Sindoora is winding down. The raw-mango window is at its sharpest — early-season raw fruit has the brightest acidity for aam panna.
Order this week: Banganapalli (3kg box), or Belgaum Alphonso for the early Hapus experience.
Weeks 7–9 (Late April to mid May)
The peak of the Karnataka mango season. Every variety except Mallika is in the market. Raspuri lands and immediately becomes the most-ordered fruit in every Bengaluru household. Badami follows two weeks later. Alphonso is at its absolute best.
This is the aamras window. Nothing in the year tastes like a Raspuri aamras eaten in the second week of May. Order ripe Raspuri by the box, make rasayana on Sundays, and accept that nothing else matters until the season ends.
Order this week: Raspuri (5kg box), and any mixed Raspuri + Badami crate. This is the week to splurge.
Weeks 10–12 (Mid May to early June)
Raspuri is at the absolute peak. Badami is at peak. Alphonso starts to fade in the Konkan but Belgaum Alphonso holds for another week or two. Banganapalli is steady and abundant.
This is also the best week for gifting. Mango boxes sent now arrive at peak ripeness and the recipient gets a week of perfect fruit. After this window, the gifting season is essentially over.
Order this week: A Raspuri + Badami mixed crate for the household, plus a 1kg Alphonso box for gifting.
Weeks 13–15 (Early June to mid June)
The mid-season varieties wind down. Raspuri ends first, around the 15th of June. Badami holds another two weeks. Alphonso is essentially over. Banganapalli is still strong.
This is the awkward middle — too late for the early varieties, too early for Mallika. The smart move is to keep ordering Banganapalli and start watching for the first Mallika boxes.
Order this week: Banganapalli for steady supply, plus a small Raspuri box if you want to catch the last of the queen.
Weeks 16–18 (Mid June to early July)
Mallika arrives. This is the late-season variety that most people miss because they have given up on mango by July. They are wrong to give up. The first Mallika of the season is one of the most aromatic mangoes you will eat all year. Banganapalli is still going strong — the longest window of any variety.
Order this week: Mallika (2kg box) and continue Banganapalli for everyday eating.
Weeks 19–21 (Early July to late July)
Mallika is at peak ripeness in mid-July — the most perfumed mango of the entire Karnataka year. Banganapalli is still available but the early-season fruit is past its best. This is Mallika week.
If you only order one box of mango in July, make it Mallika.
Order this week: Mallika at peak. A 3kg box if you have a household; a 1.5kg box if you live alone.
Weeks 22–24 (Late July to mid August)
The season tail. Mallika is winding down but still good. The last of the Banganapalli is on the market. The early monsoon has set in across most of Karnataka and the orchards are wet and the fruit is losing its concentration.
This is the final order window of the year. After mid-August, Karnataka mango is done until next March.
Order this week: A final Mallika box. Eat slowly. Acknowledge that you have to wait nine months for the next one.
The honest mango calendar is not "April to June." It is twelve weeks of constantly changing varieties, and the household that pays attention eats six different mangoes by August.
Three rules for ordering by the calendar
- Match the variety to the month. Do not order Mallika in May or Sindoora in July. The fruit will be either nonexistent or terrible. Use this calendar.
- Order by the bucket, not by the brand. A mid-season Karnataka box is better than an off-season Konkan box. Local and seasonal beats brand and shipping every time.
- Try at least one variety you have not ordered before, every season. Most Bengaluru households cycle through Alphonso, Raspuri, Banganapalli and stop. The Sindoora and Mallika are the variety year of the average mango eater.
How we ship against this calendar
The Desi Grove opens orders for each variety the week before its peak begins, holds orders until the day of peak ripeness, and ships only fruit picked the morning of dispatch. No carbide, no ethylene chambers, no exceptions. The calendar above is the calendar we ship by — it is also the calendar Karnataka has been eating by for 200 years.
The fruit is in the orchard already. The only question is which week you want it in your kitchen.