The monarchy was abolished in India in 1971, but some royal families in the country still live a life of heritage and luxury. We get to know about what’s going on with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s life, but not many of us are aware of Indian royalty – A few royal families have gracefully survived the tide of time and managed to salvage their opulence even today. Here’s a look at seven of the wealthiest royal families of India, their source of income, and luxurious lifestyle:
The Mewar Dynasty
Maharana Pratap comes to our mind when we talk about the prolific Mewar Dynasty. His descendants live in Udaipur and the head of this family is His Royal Highness Arvind Singh Mewar. He is the 76th custodian of the House of Mewar. The king is also a successful businessman and heads the HRH Group of Hotels. The Udaipur palace where the king and his wife Maharani Vijayaraj are living is also open for tourists to see and explore. A few of his palaces have been leased out –the Lake Palace and the Fateh Prakash Palace are managed by the Taj Group of Hotels. That’s not all, the king also opened a museum of antique cars in the city and manages his father’s crystal collection.
The Wadiyar Dynasty
For the unversed, the Wadiyar Dynasty’s history goes back to the Yaduvanshi clan of Lord Krishna. You read that right! 27-year-old Yaduveer Krishnadutta Chamaraj Wadiyar is the head – But he is not the direct heir. In 2013, his uncle Srikantadatta Wadiyar died without a child and there was no successor. Rajmata adopted Yaduveer as their son and turned him into the king.
Mysore is known for its silk and the Wadiyar Dynasty’s family’s brand – Royal Silk of Mysore which was started by Srikantadatta has remained a success. In 2016, the king tied the knot to the Princess of Dungarpur, Trishika Kumari Singh and they are parents to a three-year-old son.
The Royal Family of Jaipur
His Highness Bhawani Singh, the last titular head of Jaipur, had adopted his daughter Diya Kumari’s son Padmanabh Singh since he had no sons. Padmanabh became the Maharaja of Jaipur in 2016. For the unversed, he is a national-level polo player. Currently, the Taj Hotels is running the Rambagh Palace. That’s not all, Padmanabh has partnered with AirBnB to put up a suite in the palace in Jaipur on the travel websites. The tourists can come, stay and get a taste of the royal life. All the proceeds from this would go to the Princess Diya Kumari foundation. As per the Times of India, the net worth of this family is over $2.8 billion.
The Rathores of Jodhpur
We all know that Jodhpur was ruled by the Rathore family and the descendants still live there – The Mehrangarh Fort and the Umaid Bhawan Palace are the biggest forts and the largest private residences in the world. At present, Maharaja Gaj Singh lives in the Umaid Bhawan Palace with his family. Tourists can visit the palace that is now managed by the Taj Group of Hotels. Actor Priyanka Chopra tied the knot to Nick Jonas at Umaid Bhawan Palace. Maharaja Gaj Singh has served a term as a member of the Rajya Sabha, he also served as Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago a few years back.
The Gaekwads of Baroda
The Gaekwads, who belonged to Pune, had held power in Baroda (now Vadodara) since the early 18th century. Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, the head of the royal family of Baroda, inherited property worth over Rs 20,000 crores. He owns the Laxmi Vilas Palace, which is the largest private residence in the world. Samarjitsinh also inherited several paintings by Raja Ravi Varma as well as innumerable assets like gold and silver jewellery. That’s not all, he also manages temple trusts of 17 temples in Gujarat and Banaras.
The Nawabs of Pataudi
The list would have been incomplete without mentioning the Pataudi. The Nawabs managed to rule the kingdom of Pataudi, with the last titular head being Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. His Royal Highness was also the former captain of the Indian Cricket Team. He married Bollywood
Between 2005-2014, the Palace was converted into the Pataudi Palace Hotel, and by the time Mansoor Ali passed away in 2011, the property no longer belonged to the Pataudi family. However, in 2014, Saif Ali Khan was offered the chance to buy back the property, which he readily agreed to.