Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani’s Antilia is built on..? What existed there before Ambani’s mansion? Who was previous owner of this land?
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in India and across all of Asia, owns one of the most expensive private homes in the world, the Antilia in Mumbai, a grand 27-storey mansion spread across 4,532 square meters, or 1.120 acres of land on the Altamount Road in Mumbai’s Cumbala Hill.
The towering skyscraper, which boasts all the best of luxuries money can buy, including a gym, spa, private theatre, terrace garden, swimming pool, a helipad, apart from a temple and healthcare facilities, is estimated to be worth around Rs 15,000 crore. The Antilia was constructed between 2006 to 2010. But what existed on the parcel of land where Mukesh Ambani built his lavish mansion, and who owned it?
What was there before Antilia?
According to several reports, the land where Antilia stands today used to be occupied by the Currimbhoy Ebrahim Yateemkhana — an orphanage built by a wealthy businessman Sir Fazalbhoy Currimbhoy Ebrahim in 1895 for orphans from the Khoja Muslim community, to which Currimbhoy belonged to.
The orphanage was run by the Wakf board and in 2002, the board received permission to sell it to Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia Commercial Private Limited, who reportedly paid $2.5 million for the land against a market value of $1.5 billion. Later, the Ambanis sought permission to build their grand home on the property, the building plan was approved by the BMC in 2003, and construction began in 2006.
As per reports, Antilia’s construction cost around Rs 6000 crore and the building was completed in 2010.
About Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia
Named after an island in Spain, Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia was designed by Perkins and Will, an American architecture firm, who incorporated anti-earthquake features into the building. As per reports, the Antilia is designed to withstand earthquakes of up to 8.0 on the Richter scale.
The grandeur of the Antilia can be gauged from the fact that each floor of the 27-storey building features a different floor plan and design, with its interiors adorned with Lotus and Sun shapes.
The Ambani family started living in the Antilia from 2011, almost a year after its completion, reportedly because the building was not built according to Vastu Shastra, following which a puja was performed by at least 50 priests to “remove the defect”. Later, the Ambanis shifted to Antilia in September and resided there ever since.