World's most expensive house lies abandoned... because billionaire owners believe it would be bad luck to move in
- 27-storey block dominates Mumbai skyline
- Property boasts three helipads, six car parks and floating gardens
- But family won't stay overnight because of lack of windows facing east
The world's most expensive home is
lying unused and abandoned because its billionaire owners believe moving
in will bring them bad luck.
The
27-storey, billion-dollar tower in Mumbai, called Antilia, is said to
have fallen foul of vastu shastra - an obscure Hindu version of feng
shui.
Built for India's
richest man, Mukesh Ambani - ranked by Forbes as the ninth wealthiest
person in the world with a fortune of $27billion - Antilia has dominated
the Mumbai skyline since being completed last year.
But speculation has grown as to why
Mr Ambani, his wife Nita and their two children have not moved into
their extravagant new home.
Certainly
the property - which has three helipads, six floors of parking and a
series of floating gardens - is comfortable enough.
According
to reports, the Ambani family is concerned the building fails to
conform with the ancient Indian architectural principles of vastu
shastra, and has refused to move in for fear the home will curse them
with bad luck.
Film screenings have been staged in
its state-of-the-art theatre and dinners held in its grand ballroom,
served by staff trained by the luxury Oberoi hotel chain.
But its owners return at the end of each party to their former ancestral home, never staying the night.
Vastu,
a philosophy that guides Hindu temple architecture, emphasises the
importance of facing the rising sun - and despite the staggering sum
spent on Antilia the building's eastern side does not have enough
windows or other openings to let residents receive sufficient morning
light.
Instead of moving
into their dream home, the Ambanis continue to stay in the more modest,
14-storey apartment tower at the south end of the city that they share,
on different floors, with the rest of their extended family.
Tushar
Pania, a spokesman for Mr Ambani's company Reliance Industries,
dismissed questions about whether the family was reluctant to live at
Antilia as idle gossip.
Last
year, as it was nearing completion, many Mumbai residents criticised
the building as an ostentatious display of wealth in a country where
most people live on less than $2 a day.
Half a mile from Mr Ambani's 27-storey tower, a competing skyscraper is making its way into Mumbai's skyline.
The building is being constructed by the Singhania family, which controls Indian suit maker the Raymond Group.
Seen
at a distance, the two buildings are strikingly similar, with soaring
columns, large sea-facing windows and a nearly identical jigsaw puzzle
facade.
