This fabled land of Maharajas and Maharanis, India is no stranger to luxury. From the days of the richest Hindu empire, Vijayanagara in the South...to the Mughal era, she has long established the benchmarks of luxury and living that have been the envy of the world.

Shahjehan, that Mughal emperor, a lover of fine things and connoisseur of luxuries untrammelled, poured out his tears of sorrow in that most exquisite of memorials—the incomparable Taj Mahal. He left no stone unturned to build this marvel in ivory-toned marble and precious gemstones, leaving behind a legacy that is still to find an equal in the world, when it comes to luxury spend. More than 40 kinds of gem materials were used for the inlay or parchin kari work alone.

Gems and jewels for the Mughals were not just precious treasures, they were symbols of power. Even the miserly and austere Aurangzeb had a covetous bent of mind, when it came to luxuries like precious stones. During the incarceration of his father Shahjehan in the Red Fort in Agra, he was constantly harassing him for certain gemstones. The enraged imprisoned emperor threatened him that if he didn’t stop, he would personally smash each of them to smithereens with a hammer.

Ancient Hindustan was long coveted for its gold, land and beautiful women— and had for centuries lured raiders from the north. Babur, the first Mughal emperor, didn’t go back to Kabul, instead he stayed on to establish an empire. But the likes of raiders such as the Persian ruler Nadir Shah and Afghan ruler Ahmed Shah Abdali, looted Delhi and returned home with elephant loads of booty. Nadir Shah sacked Delhi in 1739 and carried off Shahjahan’s dazzling Peacock Throne. The legendary Kohinoor Diamond, in the Mughal treasury since Babur’s times, is said to have met a similar fate. Abdali invaded India eight times between 1748 and 1767 returning home with untold wealth and luxuries.

While contemporary visitors to India may have been lured by these fascinating stories of wealth and luxuries in a material way, today luxury is viewed by an all-embracing lens. Intertwined with its material splendour are the lure of rich experiential journeys of culture and community in the places that they visit. While the sense of worth, mindful behaviour, and a meaningful proposition may be driving consumer thinking today, it is undeniable that privilege and exclusivity are still deeply embedded as the defining parameters of these luxurious aspirations.

Accommodating rare indulgences

Suffused in luxurious exotica a slew of high-end hotels holds the promise of some of your most memorable experiences in India. For most visitors from abroad one of the most compelling aspirations is to visit Agra to see the legendary Taj Mahal, ranked high amongst the ‘seven wonders of the world’. One of the best places to catch those timeless views is the fabulous Kohinoor Suite, the very epitome of opulent luxury, in the Oberoi Amar Vilas which has the best vantage point to see this fantastic monument. Just 600 metres away, Amar Vilas offers uninterrupted views of Taj Mahal from all rooms and suites—night and day. An awesome experience is the Taj bathed in the moonlight on Sharad Purnima, when the moon’s rays are angled on it in a particular way creating that unique phenomenon which locals call “Chamki”.