Across the globe, billionaires have long indulged in architectural vanity projects to flaunt their fortune, from private castles to entire islands. But few rival the sheer audacity of Vijay Mallya’s creation: a meticulously detailed, full-scale White House replica, built as a luxury residence atop Bengaluru’s UB City skyline.

Completed in 2010, the mansion spans an astonishing 40,000 square feet and towers above the city like a surreal blend of Washington, D.C., and futuristic India. With its columned façade, expansive gardens, an infinity pool, and even a rooftop helipad, the structure looks more like a billionaire’s fantasy than a practical home.

A Mansion Frozen in Time

While the house itself stands as a marvel of excess, it has remained uninhabited for nearly 15 years. The reason? Its owner’s long-running legal entanglements.

Mallya, often referred to as the “King of Good Times” for his flamboyant lifestyle, was once one of India’s most celebrated businessmen. But the empire he built on breweries, airlines, and high-end real estate began to collapse under the weight of over $1 billion in unpaid loans. By 2016, facing charges of financial misconduct, he fled India for the United Kingdom.

Since then, the lavish mansion—designed to be his personal palace—has stood silent and empty, a bizarre monument to both wealth and downfall.

Legal Battles on Two Continents

Mallya’s legal troubles extend well beyond India. In the UK, he is also embroiled in bankruptcy proceedings, with a key appeal lost earlier this year. While he continues to deny wrongdoing and insists that Indian authorities already seized assets to cover his debts, his fight against extradition to India has kept him from setting foot in the country for nearly a decade.

British politicians have taken notice as well. In 2023, former UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat made a pointed remark, declaring that Britain must not become “a place where those seeking to evade justice can hide.”

A Billionaire’s Dream Turned Ghost Palace

The irony of Mallya’s situation is hard to ignore. He built one of the most extravagant homes in India—a mansion modeled after the residence of the U.S. President—yet may never get to live in it. The property, once envisioned as a statement of power and prestige, now stands as a ghost palace looming over Bengaluru.

Locals view the towering replica with a mix of awe and bewilderment, and urban legends swirl around its empty halls. To some, it symbolizes wealth gone wrong; to others, it is a cautionary tale of how fortunes can crumble as quickly as they rise.