AMLAN NATH

Aman Nath (born 1950) is an Indian historian, writer, hotelier, and architectural restorer of ruins. He began his work with an 18th-century haveli in Haryana and the 15th-century Neemrana Fort-Palace in Rajasthan (1986), is the Founder of Neemrana Fort-Palace and the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Neemrana Hotels chain. Today, he is credited with pioneering the changed end-use of heritage buildings into hotels — making it a virtual movement in India. This resulted in the 2018 landmark judgment in Navtej Singh Johar and others v. Union of India in which the Supreme Court unanimously declared the law unconstitutional "in so far as it criminalises consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex".

Early life and education Born and brought up in New Delhi, Aman Nath's family migrated from Lahore to Delhi, following the partition of India in 1947. He completed his education with a post-graduate degree in medieval Indian history from St. Stephen's College,Delhi University.

From paintbrushes, poems, and prizes at school and college – Nath's talents stood out early. At 14, he ranked first among all nations in Shankar's International Painting Competition. He also went on to win the annual literary prize at St. Stephen's College, Delhi in three of his five years there, where he pursued his Master’s degree in History.

He was gifted a daughter Aadya Nath whom he has educated and raised in Delhi. After finishing her hotel management education in Switzerland, she currently works for one of India's leading hotel chains.

Career

Nath started his career as a copywriter and graphic designer in advertising. He was one of the founding members of INTACH, a heritage and conservation organisation, established in 1984. He became the arts editor for the magazine India Today, and later remained curator of "Art Today"—an art gallery of the India Today group, situated at Connaught Place, New Delhi—for seven years. Meanwhile, he started publishing books on history and heritage, including "Jaipur: the Last Destination", "Arts and Crafts of Rajasthan", and "Dome Over India: Rashtrapati Bhavan.".

In 2025, Neemrana Hotels had 20 properties in 8 States.

Nath lives in the Nizamuddin East area of New Delhi.

Works Rajasthan: the painted walls of Shekhavati, with Francis Wacziarg. Vikas Publications, 1982. . Goa. Vikas Publishing House, 1984. . Arts and crafts of Rajasthan, with Francis Wacziarg. Mapin Publishing, 1997. . Horizons: the Tata-India century, 1904–2004, with Jay Vithalani, Tulsi Vatsal, Amit Pasricha (photographs). India Book House, 2004. . Larger Than Life: The Popular Arts of India. India Book House, 2004. . Palaces of Rajasthan, with George Michell, Antonio Martinelli (photographs). Frances Lincoln, 2005. Brahma's Pushkar: ancient Indian pilgrimage. Rajan Kapoor (photographs). India Book House, 2005. . Jaipur: The Last Destination, with Samar Singh Jodha (photographs), India Book House, 2006. . Dome Over India. India Book House, 2006. . Jodhpur's Umaid Bhawan: The Maharaja of palaces : a book, with Fred R. Holmes, Anna Newton Holmes, Amit Paschira (photographer). India Book House, 2008. . The Monumental India book. Amit Pasricha (photographer). Constable, 2008. .

Contributions Colonie? Colony?, France and India, FICCI, New Delhi, 2008. Foreword, India by Design: The Pursuit of Luxury & Fashion by Michael Borian and Alif de Poix. John Wiley and Sons, Singapore, 2010. Miniature of a Mughal Prince, in A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor. Allen Lane, London, 2010. Introduction and Two Discoveries, in Journeys Through Rajasthan. Rupa Publishers, Delhi, 2011. Foreword, Decoded Paradox by J. J. Valaya. Delhi, 2011. Beauty in India, in Travelling In, Travelling Out: A Book of Unexpected Journeys, ed. Namita Gokhale. HarperCollins, Noida, 2014. A Dialogue on Tommaso Colonnello’s Art, in There's Something in the Air: 70 Life Stories from India and Italy, ed. Lorenzo Angeloni and Maria Elettra Verone. Juggernaut Books, New Delhi, 2018. Review of Palace of Clouds: A Memoir by Rajyashree Kumari Bikaner. Bloomsbury, New Delhi, 2018. Cipla. Pictor/Shoestring, Bombay, 2021.