11th Dec 2024
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.
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”.
In the Rajasthan city of fairytale palaces and lakes, Udaipur, put your money on the spanking new ‘Arc by Pichola’, the three exclusive luxury villas nestling by the lake with a private entrance in the Leela Palace Hotel. A sojourn in the Taj Lake Palace, the iconic water palace with its luxurious blandishments, is one of your best takeaways from Udaipur.
In the desert city of Jodhpur the resplendent Umaid Bhavan Palace, one of the world’s largest living residences, partially run by the Taj group as a super luxury hotel, has been a magnet for the well-heeled and celbs from around the world. Join the ranks of Madonna, Christopher Nolan, Mick Jagger, Elizabth Hurley and the like who were temporary guests at this living palace hotel. In Jaipur, soak up those shining experiences of living in one of India’s finest palaces, The Rambagh, which was home to Maharani Gayatri Devi and her beloved “Jai". High tea on the lawns and fabulous feast at the Suvarna Mahal are highpoints not to be missed.
While exploring the city of the Nizams, Hyderabad, your money and time will be well spent at the uber-luxurious Taj Falaknuma Palace, originally home to the Nizam, with its 60 beautifully refurbished and meticulously restored rooms. The library is said to be a replica of the one at Windsor Castle. History and heritage have woven a script of untrammelled luxury in Mumbai’s splendid Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, with its stunning harbour views.
Culture through food is one of the most exciting ways to experience the luxury world of India’s culinary heritage and international contemporary fare. Luxury is not being defined by price alone, it's also the quality of the food, the service and the ambiance that hits the right spots. The Bukhara at New Delhi’s ITC Maurya Hotel has long been a magnet for foodies from home and abroad for its amazing North West Frontier delights. Its kali daal, burra kebabs and naan are legendary. The ultra chic La Cirque at the Leela Palace Hotel will blow you away with its Italian offerings while the Megu Restaurant is richly endorsed by its Japanese clients for its authentic contemporary fare. Indian Accent, ranked amongst the world’s top restaurants, continues to wow patrons with its innovative take on Indian offerings. 6 Ballygunge Place puts the spotlight on vegetable, chicken and meat dishes, shaped by Mughal, British and Portuguese culinary influences. Yauatcha in Mumbai speeds up the hunger pangs with its delectable traditional Cantonese cuisine with a contemporary twist. In Bangalore Karavalli, offers the most delicious Mangalorean fish curries, Kerala-style prawn preparations and more. For superb offerings from the royal kitchens of the Nizam’s sample the preparations at Adaa at the Taj Falaknuma in Hyderabad. In Lucknow, abandon yourself to the delights of the culinary pursuits of the Nawabs of Awadh at upscale The Oudh at The Taj Mahal Lucknow and Oudhyana at Vivanta by Taj.
For those rare and memorable dining and wining experiences, take home vignettes of candlelight dinners in a private game sanctuary at Gajner Palace near Bikaner, a sumptuous feast with the royals at Jaipur, or high tea in a nobleman’s home in Udaipur.
Jaipur’s esteemed elephant polo… the winter season of polo championships in New Delhi… riding fresh horses at a nobleman’s home in Dundlod Castle or Rawla Narlai… they all catapult you into a world of royal patronage and leisurely pastimes.
The emperor Akbar had a great fondness for the kani shawl from Kashmir. Sadly, down the centuries, these stunning shawls could no longer survive without the patronage of the royals and the nobility. Machine-made shawls, with the advent of British rule and demand for quick profits, became the death knell of this luxury tradition. Concerted efforts are being made to revive this centuries' old craft. The tiny village of Kainhama, located on Srinagar’s outskirts is slowly giving a new lease to kani shawls created in the twill tapestry-mode of Europe, where the design is created directly on the loom itself using multiple threads. The name is derived from the local term for the needle-like, eyeless wooden bobbin, kani, used for winding the weft threads, around which the coloured weft threads are wrapped. The descendants of past master craftsmen, in the current generation, are being encouraged to return to their ancestral skills which once created drapes that adorned the shoulders of Empress Josphine of France. The painstaking work involved the skills of master craftsmen who would take an entire day to create just one inch of work. It would take over two to five years to complete the shawl, which was more a work of art than a form of luxury apparel!
Patrons of luxury goods cannot ignore the compelling beauty Gujarat’s legendary paithani sari, woven in threads of gold with painstaking patience over 2-5 years in the village of Paithan. These stunning heirloom pieces are every bride’s pride and neighbour’s envy.
India’s fabulous wealth of embroidery and weaving traditions have found voice in the stunning works of its lead designers like Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahilani and Sabyasachi. To own even one of these luxury fashion garments is to be one more custodian of India’s exquisite textile heritage. With high end stores located in the major metro cities these designers have played a pivotal role in keeping these rare ancestral traditions of luxury and fine artistry alive and relevant in today’s world.
Attending a jewellery workshop in Jaipur or Varanasi offers a rare opportunity to learn all about the fabulous intricacies of the art of enamelling/meenakari in jewellery. Jaipur has long been revered for its red meenakari work, Varanasi for its pink meenakari jewellery.
The launching of several luxury trains, (in the Orient Express mode) in India has added that special edge to the search for the exotic for foreign travellers. The Palace on Wheels, is in fact a luxury hotel with all the appurtenances of a palatial residence — private suites with attached loos, bar and dining cars summoning gourmet meals and alluring drinks… From these luxurious settings, along the way, you get to explore the very best of Rajasthan’s iconic destinations with their antique bazaars, fabulous palaces, elegant havelis and stunning forts. If it's South India you want to know more about, book a journey on the palatial Golden Chariot which takes in the exotica of the prime hot spots of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and sunny Goa.
Savour the delights of a luxury boat cruise on the Brahmaputra River untouched by mass tourism and make a stopover at the amazing Kaziranga National Park. Cruise the palm-fringed Kerala backwaters on a luxury houseboat from the Kumarakom Resort.
Glamping in the remote, uncrowded cold desert lands of Ladakh, while exploring stunning sites like Pangong Lake, is an unforgettable experience. Stargazing in these dark skies is truly rare and spiritually uplifting.
Fuelled by a desire for unparalleled luxury experiences of another kind, travellers are becoming bolder and more adventurous about stretching the boundaries of their explorations of India. These unique, once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences serve as an excellent reminder of how this ancient country offers endless opportunities to abandon oneself to the joys and rewards of immersive travel.