India, Dec. 5 -- Amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting him at one of India's most distinguished diplomatic venues, the Hyderabad House. Located close to India Gate, this grand structure routinely serves as the backdrop for high-profile state visits and official banquets.

The origins of Hyderabad House date back nearly a century. In 1926, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad and once hailed as the world's richest man, acquired a little over eight acres in the capital.

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The purchase was driven by practicality, as a member of the Chamber of Princes, the Nizam needed a stately residence in Delhi for meetings convened by th...