New Delhi: Indian-origin businessman Pankaj Oswal and his wife Radhika recently purchased one of the world’s most expensive villas in Switzerland. The 430,000-square-foot villa cost them an estimated $200 million (around Rs 1,639 crore). The high-end house, once held by Christina Onassis, the daughter of Greek shipping mogul Aristotle Onassis, is a countryside getaway overlooking the snow-capped Alps in the Swiss village of Gingins.
According to the Times of India, the Oswals paid $200 million for the luxurious mansion, which is known as one of the world’s top ten most expensive homes. Pankaj Oswal is the son of industrialist Abhay Kumar Oswal and has a net worth of $3 billion. Pankaj owns the Oswal Group Global. The conglomerate’s business portfolio includes petrochemicals, real estate, fertilisers, and mining in Africa, India, Australia, and Switzerland as well. The group also owns Burrup Fertilisers, an Australian-based company that is one of the world’s largest producers of liquid ammonia.
The villa was redesigned when the Oswal family purchased it. According to GQ, the property will be renovated by renowned interior designer Jeffrey Wilkes. The jet-setting Oswal family relocated from Australia to Switzerland in 2013. Villa Vari is named after Pankaj and Radhika Oswal’s two daughters, Vasundhara Oswal, 24, who is the Executive Director of PRO Industries PTE LTD and the Director General of Axis Minerals, and Ridi Oswal, 19, who is a chemical engineering student in London.
In a recent Instagram post, Ridi Oswal said, “Being Indian and living abroad you always miss the smallest things about your culture, especially in regards to aesthetics, food and even the people. It was my family’s dream to create a little India away from India and I’m glad to see they have succeeded in doing so.”
According to Hello Magazine, the property has been adorned with custom interior installations acquired from all over the world. A series of beautifully carved niches inspired by Jaipur’s Amber Palace can be seen on an accent wall throughout the mansion, while several chandeliers have been purchased from Turkey and Morocco. A private gym, a gold-inlaid spa and wellness wing, and big French windows provide panoramic views of the gardens and snow-capped mountains.
