Businesses Of Indian Royal Families That Are Worth Knowing
The monarchy is no longer present in India, but that doesn’t mean the upper-class maharajas that laid claim to the country’s many regal palaces just disappeared overnight. While some of the royal networks of family dynasties have lost their fame and status over the years, others have transformed their ancestral assets and wealth into blossoming businesses and managed to stay relevant and lead a luxurious life.
Let’s have a look at the list of some of the Indian royal families and their businesses:
- The Mewar Dynasty:
The Mewar dynasty is probably the most famous royal family in Indian history and hence, at the top of our list. This dynasty has seen great kings like Maharana Pratap. Today, Rana Sriji Arvind Singh Mewar is the 76th custodian of the Mewar house. He lives with his family at the City Palace in Udaipur. Arvind Singh Mewar is married to Princess Vijayaraj of Kutch, and they have three children: Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Bhargavi Kumari Rathore, and Padmaja Kumari Parmar.
Arvind Singh Mewar is the Chairman and MD of the hotels’ HRH (Historic Resort Hotels) group. HRH Group of Hotels: India’s largest chain of heritage palace hotels was started by his late highness Maharana Bhagwat Singh Mewar back in 1963. Now it has around 10 hotels in its portfolio across 6 cities.
The next successor to the Mewar dynasty is the son of Arvind Singh Mewar, Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar. He is following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a successful businessman. The young prince restored the Jagmandir Island Palace situated on Lake Pichola in 2019, the latest addition to the HRH Group of Hotels.
2. The Royal Family of Jaipur:
Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh was the last titular head of Jaipur. The king did not have any sons, so he adopted his grandson, Padmanabh Singh (the elder son of Diya Kumari), as his successor. In 2011, Padmanabh Singh became the Maharaja of Jaipur at the young age of 13. Padmanabh is an established national-level polo player. He is an avid traveler and a runway model, and he has even appeared on magazine covers across the world.
The young royal king does not take his title lightly, either, as he has been working with his mother, Princess Diya Kumari, on a non-profit organization that indulges in empowering women in Rajasthan.
According to Business Insider, the young king controls a fortune of around 2.8 billion USD. The Royal family has given the Rambagh Palace to Taj Hotels to run. Also, they are one of the first royals to work with Airbnb. Padmanabh has put up a suite in the Jaipur City Palace on the travel website where tourists can come and stay for a mere 8,000 USD per night. All the proceeds would go to Princess Diya Kumari’s non-profit organization.
3. The Rathores of Jodhpur:
Once upon a time, Jodhpur was ruled by the Rathore descendants. They are now one of the wealthiest royal families in India and owners of India’s most luxurious hotels and palaces.
Jodhpur is home to the Mehrangarh Fort and the Umaid Bhawan Palace.
Gaj Singh and his family are descendants of the Rathore family, who once ruled Jodhpur and live in the world’s sixth-largest private residence, Umaid Bhawan Palace. The iconic 10-hectare (26-acre) residence also hosted the famous Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s wedding. Part of their property is open to tourists, while the Taj Group of Hotels manages the rest. After the monarchy was abolished in India, Maharaja Gaj Singh served as the Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago. After returning, he founded the Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls’ Public School, an ode to his mother, whose dream was to build a prestigious English school for girls. He has also served in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Indian parliament.
4. The Royal Family of Rajkot:
While most royal families have turned their ancestral palaces into heritage hotels to survive the tides of time, the royal family of Rajkot opted for a different route. The family is invested in hydropower plants and biofuel developments.
This family is led by Yuvraj Mandhatasinh Jadeja, son of Manoharsinhji Pradyumansinhji.
The Jadejas live in the Ranjit Vilas Palace.
According to The Indian Express, they plan to convert their ancestral palace, Durbargadh, into a museum. The Royal Jadeja family is estimated to be worth more than INR 20,000 crores.
5. The Wadiyar Dynasty:
The Wadiyar dynasty once ruled the kingdom of Mysore. The ‘Kings’ of this dynasty trace their history to the Yaduvanshi clan of Lord Krishna. Queen Alamelamma of Vijaynagar cursed the Wadiyar dynasty in 1612 for capturing the throne and said that Mysore kings would never bear children. This curse has been in power for the last 400 years. Currently, the head of this dynasty is the 30-year-old (born on March 24, 1992) Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar.
He was not the direct heir of the Wadiyar dynasty. His uncle, Srikantadatta Wadiyar, died childless in 2013 and had no successor. His widowed wife adopted Yaduveer as their son and turned him into the king. The king holds a bachelor’s degree with a double major in English literature and economics.
Since Mysore is a place known for its royal silk, the Wadiyar family has proven to succeed in the industry, as Srikantadatta Narsimharaja Wadiyar ran it. It is said that the family has assets worth INR 10,000 crores.
6. The Nawabs of Pataudi:
The list of the royal families is incomplete without mentioning the Nawabs of Pataudi. The Nawabs once ruled the kingdom of Pataudi, and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was the last titular head of this family. He married actress Sharmila Tagore, and the couple had three children: Saif Ali Khan (a Bollywood actor), Saba Ali Khan (a jewelry designer), and Soha Ali Khan (a Bollywood actress and TV personality).
The former nawab, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, is also known as Tiger Pataudi. He was a cricketer and the former captain of the Indian cricket team.
In 2011, their son, Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, was anointed the 10th Nawab of Pataudi. Since then, Saif has managed his father’s estate, including the Grand Pataudi Palace (worth INR 800 crores).
7. The Gaekwad Family of Baroda:
The Gaekwads once ruled Baroda. The Gaekwad dynasty comes from Pune. In 2012, Samarjitsinh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad was the head of the Royal Family of Baroda (now known as Vadodara). So, when the king took his throne, he became the owner of Laxmi Niwas Palace, the largest private residence in India. This palace sprawls over 600 acres of land and is said to be four times the size of Buckingham Palace.
The Maharaj has also inherited uncountable paintings and movable assets belonging to Fatehsinghrao, such as gold, silver, and royal jewelry by Raja Ravi Varma and prime land, which stands as the primary beneficiary of ancestral property.
He settled a 23-year-long legal inheritance dispute with his uncle, Sangramsinh Gaekwad, in 2013. The settlement amount of this property is worth more than INR 20,000 Crore.
In addition, the royal family also has 17 temples in Gujarat and Banaras and has a 10-hole golf course inside the palace. He is a former cricketer and a former politician.
8. The Royal Family of Alsisar:
The Alsisars once managed the kingdom of the princely state of Khetri in Rajasthan. Today, the royal family owns Havelis in both Jaipur and Ranthambore. The current head of the royal family of Alsisars is Abhimanyu Singh.
He has restructured the Alsisar Palace into a luxurious heritage hotel. He is a hotelier, a marathon runner, and the co-organizer of the annual electronic festival, Magnetic Fields. They also run several hotels on their properties.
Author: Shubham Ghosh
Hi, I'm Shubham Ghosh. Your go-to content writer. I love writing about Finance and Business case studies. Let's get connected 💙.
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