Meet the richest Indian ever and it’s not Tata, Birla or Ambani

We all know about the richest people and families in India today. When you ask someone about the richest person in India, names that come to the mind are seemingly that of industrialists like the Tatas and Birlas. However, it isn’t all that surprising to know that the richest Indians ever, i.e., net worth adjusted for inflation, could very well be the erstwhile kings of the land that ruled parts of India before independence from colonial rule made the nation a democracy. But which of these kings was the richest of them all?

The answer is Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam who ruled Hyderabad for 37 years from 1911 to 1948. But how rich was he exactly? And what would be his worth today, adjusted for inflation over the past several decades. Here’s the answer.

Meet the richest Indian ever – Mir Osman Ali Khan

The last Nizam of Hyderabad before the princely state was taken into the Indian democratic fold in 1948, Mir Osman Ali Khan was a rich man beyond imagination. He succeeded his father as the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1911 and stayed at the helm for nearly four decades. From the latest estimates from last year, Mir Osman Ali Khan’s net worth today would be a mind-boggling over Rs 17.47 lakh crore ($230 billion or Rs 1,74,79,55,15,00,000.00), after adjusting for inflation. This is almost near the net worth of the world’s richest man currently, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, at $250 billion.

How rich was the richest India to ever exist?

It is said that the Nizam used a diamond instead of a paperweight. He had his own back called the Hyderabad State Bank, which he established in 1941. The Nizam was famous for lavish gifts, and is said to have gifted diamond jewels to the British Princess Elizabeth on her wedding

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The Nizam developed his state bringing electricity, railways, making roads and airways. He was also known for philanthropy focussed on education, donating to some of the leading universities like Jamia Nizamia, Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University and Darul Uloom Deoband.