An advertisement from 1962 for Delhi’s first post-independence hotel, the Ashoka Hotel. At the time, Ashoka was still relatively new, having opened in 1956. It quickly became the preferred address for top diplomats arriving in the capital. The hotel was state-owned, a pet project of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who envisioned it as a stage on which India could present itself as a confident young nation. Ashoka embodied the modern amenities and “international luxury”, as mentioned, that Nehru believed visitors should find in a newly independent India.
While Delhi already had several notable colonial-era hotels, most were located in or around what was now coming to be known as the “Old” city. The Ashoka was meant to be something different: a marker of what was new, forward-looking, and architecturally modern in the emerging diplomatic enclave of ‘New’ Delhi.
Since its creation, the city has seen an explosion of hotels catering to every kind of traveler, from domestic and foreign tourists, to backpackers and business delegations. However, the Ashoka remains a symbol of early postcolonial aspirations to showcase India (and Delhi) on the world stage.
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