The Pataudi Palace, also known as Ibrahim Kothi, stands as a true-blue symbol of royalty for the Nawabs of the Pataudi clan. Spread across a sprawling 10 acres of land, the palace was passed on from the last ruling Nawab, Iftikhar Ali Khan, to his son, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. The palace is now held by actor, Saif Ali Khan, son of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and his wife, Sharmila Tagore.
The palace is now managed by actress, Sharmila Tagore, who spends her time there, away from the hustle of Mumbai. The Pataudi siblings, Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan, who live in Mumbai, often visit the palace along with their respective families during vacation. Over the years, we have seen glimpses of the palace on social media, and not just this, many Bollywood films have also been shot in this palace.
However, the star-studded Pataudi palace has not been the home of the Nawabs since the beginning. Before the now Ibrahim Kothi, the Nawabs lived in Akbar Manzil. Today, let us take a glimpse of the now-crumbling Akbar Manzil and the story of why the Pataudis shifted from there.
Pataudi clan’s humble beginning from Akbar Manzil
Akbar Manzil was built during the reign of Nawab Muhamad Akbar Ali, and it served as the family home of the Pataudi clan. Over a century, many generations from the Pataudi family stayed in Akbar Manzil until 1941.
The now crumbling Akbar Manzil was once a luxurious mahal with triple-arched verandahs. It also featured neo-classical floral motifs inside the walls. With well-structured stairs built of marble and leading to upper floors, the palace’s architecture is praiseworthy.
Why did the Pataudis shift from Akbar Manzil?
Before the beginning of World War 2, the Nawab of Bhopal declined a marriage proposal from the Pataudi family for his daughter. The reason behind this was that he considered Akbar Manzil too small for his daughter, Sajida Sultan. The proposal was for Saif Ali Khan’s grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan, who could not bear the rejection and thought of building a huge palace, which is none other than the current Pataudi Palace or Ibrahim Kothi.
In a conversation with Cyrus Broacha on the YouTube channel, Housing.com, Soha Ali Khan once talked about the story behind building the Pataudi palace and said her grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, built the palace to impress his future father-in-law. Revealing how he ran out of money for the marble, Soha stated:
“My grandmother was the begum of Bhopal and my grandfather was the nawab of Pataudi; he loved her for many years but was not allowed to marry her… The Pataudi Palace was built to impress his father-in-law. If you go to Pataudi, you’ll see there’s a lot of carpets. He ran out of money for the marble, so underneath the carpets there’s a lot of cement.”
The Pataudi palace was rented to Neemrana Hotels
The Pataudi Palace was designed by Robert Tor Russell and Austrian architect, Karl Malte von Heinz and was completed in 1935. With 150 rooms, the palace features unique colour palettes and various memorabilia collected by generations of the Pataudi clan. The palace was leased out to Neemrana Hotels and was converted into the Pataudi Palace Hotel from 2005 to 2014.
After the death of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the property no longer belonged to the Pataudi clan. In 2014, Saif Ali Khan was given the chance to buy back his ancestral property, and the actor got the Pataudi palace back.
In an interview with the Mid-Day, Saif revealed that he earned back the Pataudi palace, which was supposed to be inherited. Elaborating more about the same, the actor stated:
“Aman Nath and Francis Wacziarg used to run the hotel. Francis passed away. He’d said that if I wanted the palace back, I could let him know. I said: ‘I want it back’. They held a conference, and said, ‘okay, you have to give us lots of money!’ Which I then consequently earned. So, even the house I’m supposed to have inherited has been earned back through money from films. You can’t live off the past. At least we can’t in our family, because there was nothing.”
Though the modern Pataudi palace is a living example of the royalty of the Nawabs, Akbar Manzil, on the other hand, is a reminder of the Pataudi clan’s humble beginnings. Akbar Manzil, the then-official residence of the Nawabs, was later converted into a judicial complex, which marks the journey of the royal family.
To watch the glimpses of Akbar Manzil, click here.
Did you know the story behind Akbar Manzil and why the Pataudi clan built the modern Pataudi palace? Let us know.
Also Read: Inside Tour Of Saif Ali Khan And Kareena’s Swanky Bandra Home, Where He Was Stabbed During Robbery
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