The Ashoka Hotel under construction. Fifteen of the original 23 shareholders of the hotel were erstwhile princes. Nehru, we are told, used to travel on horseback to oversee the construction. Photograph: Courtesy The Ashok/Facebook.

The hotel opened in 1956. Veteran photographer Madan Mahatta’s view of the Ashoka Hotel in 1957 as part of his Modernist Delhi series. Photograph: Courtesy The Ashok/Facebook.

Till about 1965, before The Oberoi burst on to the Delhi hospitality scene, the hotel enjoyed uncontested cult status. Photograph: Courtesy The Ashok/Facebook.

The Ashoka Hotel was rechristened The Ashok in 2007 to uplift its profile. Photograph: Courtesy The Ashok/Facebook.