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The first pictures showing the inside of Ambani’s residence, which is believed to be the world’s most expensive house, have been released. Built by India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, the 27-storey building towers over swanky Altamount Road in Mumbai. According to reportes, named Antilia, after a mythical island, it cost more than 1 billion dollars. Those who have visited it speak of helipads, a vast library, extravagant dining areas, opulent marble floors and even a snow room. Until now the family has remained silent on the residence. “This is the first time I am talking about my home,” the BBC quoted Nita Ambani as saying in an interview published in the June issue of Vanity Fair magazine. “There have been exaggerated reports in the media about it, I must say,” she said. Much of the media speculation has centred on whether the family were actually living in the property. Some newspaper reports suggested they had decided not to move in because the vastu shastra (an Indian form of architecture, akin to feng shui) on the building was not spiritually correct. In the interview, conducted in November, Mrs Ambani confirmed they took up residence last September. “We moved in two months ago… and then it was going round that we haven’t moved in,” she said. A photo published photo of one of the rooms shows floor-to-ceiling windows, and a seating arrangement which resembles a five-star hotel lobby. “It’s a modern home with an Indian heart,” Nita said. Antilia is 27 storeys high, but many of the floors are double or triple height, so the building rises to 570 feet, equivalent to a 40-storey building. It also has a mutli-storey garage, a ballroom, a spa, a theatre, guest suites and a number of terraced gardens. “We made our home right at the top because we wanted the sunlight… so it’s an elevated house on top of a garden,” she said. The design, she said, is based on the lotus and the sun, and is decorated using rare wood, marble, mother-of-pearl and crystal, crafted by Indian artisans. As with many Indian households, it also has a Hindu prayer room, “getting my temple right was so important,” she said. Reports suggest the house is worth more than 1 billion dollars, small change for Mukesh Ambani, who is worth more than 22 billion dollars according to Forbes magazine. Despite this, the house’s construction has attracted some criticism from some who say it is far too grand for a city like Mumbai, where millions of people live in slums, and hundreds of thousands don’t have a roof over their head.

Ambanis give first sneak peek inside `world’s priciest house` in Mumbai