{"id":2073951,"date":"2025-10-07T03:49:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T03:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2073951"},"modified":"2025-10-07T03:49:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T03:49:10","slug":"from-185-carat-diamond-paperweights-to-dog-weddings-8-times-indias-royals-splurged-on-the-most-outrageous-luxuries-that-even-todays-billionaires-cant-imagine-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/from-185-carat-diamond-paperweights-to-dog-weddings-8-times-indias-royals-splurged-on-the-most-outrageous-luxuries-that-even-todays-billionaires-cant-imagine-people\/","title":{"rendered":"From 185-Carat Diamond Paperweights To Dog Weddings: 8 Times India\u2019s Royals Splurged On The Most Outrageous Luxuries That Even Today\u2019s Billionaires Can\u2019t Imagine | People"},"content":{"rendered":"

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From 100 Ferragamo Heels to Silver Trains and Pet Weddings \u2014 8 Times India\u2019s Royals Made Luxury Look Like an Everyday Habit <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In today\u2019s world of designer bags, private yachts, personal jets, and influencers, it\u2019s easy to assume we have seen the height of luxury. But long before curated Instagram feeds and hashtags, India\u2019s royal families were living lives of splendour so extravagant that even modern billionaires would struggle to keep up. <\/p>\n

Their wealth wasn\u2019t just immense \u2014 it was imaginative. These were men and women who didn\u2019t merely buy luxury; they created it. From turning a 185-carat diamond into a paperweight to organizing weddings for their dogs, the Maharajas and Maharanis of India made indulgence an art form. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look into eight moments of royal excess that continue to dazzle history lovers even today. <\/p>\n

1. The Nizam\u2019s 185-Carat Jacob Diamond<\/span> \u2014 A Paperweight for a King <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"When
<\/svg>When India\u2019s Royals Lived Like Legends: The Dazzlingly Strange, Beautiful, and Utterly Extravagant Tales of a Forgotten Age of Luxury<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, was once said to be wealthier than the British Crown. Among his many treasures lay the Jacob Diamond \u2014 a 185-carat masterpiece, one of the largest polished diamonds in the world. And what did the Nizam do with it? He used it as a paperweight on his desk.<\/p>\n

Today, that very diamond, valued at around Rs 1,000 crore, rests safely inside the Reserve Bank of India\u2019s vaults in Mumbai. <\/p>\n

2. The Maharaja<\/span> of Junagadh\u2019s 800 Dogs \u2014 and Their Grand Wedding <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/svg>Not Your Average Royals: How India\u2019s Blue-Blooded Elite Spent Fortunes on Diamonds, Dogs, and Designer Dreams That Still Fascinate the World<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Maharaja of Junagadh, Muhammad Mahabat Khan III’s love for dogs was unmatched. His palace was home to more than 800 royal canines, each attended by their own caretaker and fed lavish meals.<\/p>\n

When two of his favourite dogs were married, the Maharaja reportedly spent Rs 20 lakh on the ceremony \u2014 complete with decorated elephants, guests in attendance, and a royal banquet. The ultimate \u201cpaw-sh wedding,\u201d if there ever was one. <\/p>\n

3. Maharani Indira Devi<\/span>\u2019s 100 Ferragamo<\/span> Heels \u2014 Fashion Royalty Personified<\/span> <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/svg>From Palaces to Paperweights: The Unbelievable True Stories of How Indian Royalty Redefined Wealth, Style, and Sheer Extravagance for Centuries<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Long before Bollywood\u2019s red carpets, there was Maharani Indira Devi of Cooch Behar, know as India\u2019s original style icon. With her charm and impeccable taste, she once ordered over a hundred pairs of custom-made shoes from Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo, many embellished with pearls and diamonds.<\/p>\n

Her sense of glamour was so iconic that Ferragamo immortalised her in his memoirs. If Cinderella had competition, it was Indira Devi in a silk sari and Ferragamos. <\/p>\n

4. The Maharaja of Jaipur\u2019s Silver Vessels \u2014 For Holy Water Only <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"When
<\/svg>When Diamonds Became Paperweights and Dogs Had Weddings: Inside the Extravagant World of India\u2019s Royals<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II of Jaipur travelled to England, he refused to drink anything but the sacred waters of the Ganga. To ensure this, he commissioned two massive urns crafted entirely from sterling silver \u2014 melted down from 14,000 silver coins.<\/p>\n

Each urn stood over five feet tall and remains listed in the Guinness World Records as the largest silver vessels ever made. If hydration had a royal version, this was it. <\/p>\n

5. The Maharaja of Indore\u2019s Private Railway Line <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"The
<\/svg>The Royals Who Redefined Luxury: 8 Lavish Tales from India\u2019s Glittering Past<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For the Maharaja of Indore, luxury wasn\u2019t just about possessions \u2014 it was about convenience. Forget limousines; he built his own private railway line connecting his palaces, allowing him to glide from one royal estate to another in unmatched comfort. Efficiency, after all, is also a form of opulence. <\/p>\n

6. The Maharaja of Gwalior\u2019s Silver Train \u2014 Dinner with a Twist <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"Opulence
<\/svg>Opulence, Eccentricity, and Pure Grandeur \u2014 The Untold Luxuries of India\u2019s Blue-Blooded Elite<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

At the Gwalior palace, dinner parties were a spectacle. Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia had a silver miniature train running around his dining table, delivering cigars, drinks, and snacks to guests. <\/p>\n

The sight of a tiny train puffing around serving whisky was not just a party trick \u2014 it was an unforgettable statement of style. It\u2019s safe to say no dinner trolley since has come close. <\/p>\n

7. The Patiala Necklace \u2014 Cartier\u2019s Glittering Crown <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"Beyond
<\/svg>Beyond Wealth: How India\u2019s Maharajas and Maharanis Turned Life into a Spectacle of Style and Splendour<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala decided to commission jewellery, he didn\u2019t hold back. Crafted by Cartier in 1928, his necklace boasted nearly 3,000 diamonds, including a colossal 234-carat yellow De Beers gem. <\/p>\n

Valued at roughly Rs 250 crore today, the Patiala Necklace remains one of the most extravagant pieces of jewellery ever made \u2014 a symbol of royal audacity and aesthetic brilliance. <\/p>\n

8. The Maharaja of Alwar\u2019s Rolls Royce Revenge <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Few tales blend pride and extravagance like that of the Maharaja of Alwar. During a visit to London, Rolls Royce staff allegedly mocked him, assuming he couldn\u2019t afford their cars. Furious, the Maharaja returned in full regalia, bought six cars on the spot, shipped them to India, and repurposed them as garbage trucks. <\/p>\n

It was an act of royal defiance so legendary that Rolls Royce later issued an apology. As they say, revenge is best served with a touch of silver \u2014 and horsepower.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.timesnownews.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From 100 Ferragamo Heels to Silver Trains and Pet Weddings \u2014 8 Times India\u2019s Royals Made Luxury Look Like an Everyday Habit In today\u2019s world of designer bags, private yachts, personal jets, and influencers, it\u2019s easy to assume we have seen the height of luxury. But long before curated Instagram feeds and hashtags, India\u2019s royal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2073952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[357752,389056,389055,389054,389042,389041,389053,23898,389025,389052,382349,389040,389065,338479,389051,389028,22578,389029,389017,389019,389022,389012,389013,389039,22491,389064,389038,389059,389026,25741,389023,389037,389050,389049,389036,389061,389048,389047,389058,389035,389014,389034,389033,389015,389032,344837,389046,389045,389021,389063,389057,389044,389060,21750,389043,389024,389018,389016,389027,389031,389030,389062,328006,389020],"class_list":["post-2073951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-maharaja","tag-bollywoods","tag-british-crown","tag-cartier","tag-cinderella","tag-cooch-behar","tag-de-beers","tag-england","tag-extravagant-maharajas","tag-fed","tag-ferragamo","tag-ferragamos","tag-ganga","tag-guinness-world-records","tag-heres","tag-historic-luxury-india","tag-india","tag-indian-heritage","tag-indian-royal-families","tag-indian-royal-lifestyle","tag-indian-royal-opulence","tag-indian-royals","tag-indian-royalty","tag-indira-devi","tag-instagram","tag-ir-grand-wedding-maharaja-of-junagadh","tag-jacob-diamond","tag-jacob-diamond-a","tag-lavish-maharanis","tag-london","tag-luxury-in-india","tag-madho-rao-scindia","tag-maharaja-bhupinder-singh","tag-maharaja-of-alwar","tag-maharaja-of-alwars-rolls-royce-revenge","tag-maharaja-of-gwaliors-silver-train-dinner","tag-maharaja-of-indore","tag-maharaja-of-indores-private","tag-maharaja-of-jaipurs-silver-vessels-for-holy-water","tag-maharajas","tag-maharajas-of-india","tag-maharani-indira-devi","tag-maharani-indira-devis","tag-maharani-stories","tag-muhammad-mahabat-khan-iii","tag-mumbai","tag-nizam","tag-nizam-of-hyderabad","tag-outrageous-royal-indulgences","tag-paperweight-for-a-king-mir-osman-ali-khan","tag-patiala","tag-patiala-necklace","tag-patiala-necklace-cartiers-glittering-crown","tag-people","tag-reserve-bank-of-indias","tag-royal-diamonds-india","tag-royal-extravagance","tag-royal-india","tag-royal-legends-of-india","tag-royalty-personified","tag-salvatore-ferragamo","tag-sawai","tag-times-now","tag-unbelievable-royal-luxuries"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/From-185-Carat-Diamond-Paperweights-To-Dog-Weddings-8-Times-Indias.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2073951"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2073953,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073951\/revisions\/2073953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2073952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2073951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2073951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2073951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}