In the city where this likely but improbable romance played out, both bud and fruit are in evidence in a spa such as the Mughals probably had for their private pleasure. At ITC Mughal, the only hotel ever to have been awarded the Aga Khan Award for Excellence in Architecture, this could not have been easy.

Three decades had left the resort feeling tired, and a new infusion of excitement was in order. The addition of a spa was considered, according to Anil Chadha, its general manager, the most appropriate way of achieving this.

The Mughals, we know, had hamams — bathing chambers, really — but were there also therapy centres for massages and wellness?

Certainly, the Muslim occupation of Nagaur Fort in Rajasthan had resulted in the creation of a series of water bodies at different levels that could only have been pleasure pools. Whatever the historic authenticity, ITC Mughal’s Kaya Kalp spa could have been appropriated from history.

Enter the spa and you could be entering the cave of the forty thieves, with the pierced metal lamps, hinting at the architectural challenge within.

The architect’s brief was an overwhelming one: to recreate 99,000 sq ft of space without sticking out like a sore thumb. “One had to be respectful of the existing architecture yet create something new,” says Pradeep Sachdeva, who was commissioned the task.

The new wing with its brick façade could be a part of the existing hotel, so well has it blended in. It is in the interiors that the changes are the most striking. High ceilings and narrow corridors lead to what appears to be a labyrinth of passages opening every now and then into larger holding areas, therapy spaces, courtyards, gardens and resting bays.

Fluted pillars and tall doors rise ceiling-wards. Stone filigree and embedded mirrors recreate the sheesh mahals of the period. “But nothing,” as Sachdeva laughs, “is in your face, which is why I’m pleased about it.”

The interiors, of course, were planned by Thai design firm P49. “In spas around the world,” spa advisor Christine Hays of Starwood Hotels, says, “water is a dominant theme.” At Kaya Kalp, though, it is not used in a merely ephemeral, background way.

It spouts out, pools, runs and bubbles, creating a medley of sounds, its presence tangible. A new pool spreads out for the exclusive use of spa guests. Surrounding it are saplings that will grow into trees.

“What was exciting,” says Sachdeva, “was that the project involved the renewal of the gardens.” ITC Mughal spreads over 35 acres, a garden hotel if ever there was one, “but without focus, gardens tend to become chaotic”, explains Sachdeva.

The rejuvenation of the garden, part of which falls into the spa area and has already been implemented, “has been inspired by the Mughal char bagh concept”.

But even more important has been the creation, close to the swimming pool, of a conservatory where guests can wander in after a massage or a swim. “The Mughals loved exotic flowers and plants, and the building of a conservatory for tropical plants has been one of the better ideas at the spa.”

The interior appointments are global: therapy beds have been sourced from the United States, the linen is Italian, the Ayurvedic massage table is made from jackfruit wood, mother-of-pearl flashes from wall and floor inlays, and therapy rooms are fully en suite with their own bathrooms as well as attached room and outdoor rain showers.

Inside, the context of Mughal living spaces has carried through the public as well as the therapy rooms. The lighting, particularly, is nothing short of outstanding. The high ceilings, “for a sense of space and volume”, are a particular feature of the architect’s projects, and the inspiration is completely home-grown.

Folds of fabric are gathered into canopies, or swept back to frame large windows to overlook water pools and gardens. Views frame other views. Like a pomegranate being peeled layer by layer, each springs its own surprise — and delight.

The pomegranate as inspiration as well as artwork is only too obvious. Patterned as an inlay into the terrazzo flooring, festooned as a canopy across the ceiling, represented with paint and mixed media down walls, it is the most dominant motif that emerges from the perfumed halls and incense-fed corridors. Appropriately, a pomegranate scrub is one of the treatments offered at the spa. Outside, pomegranate trees bend to the breeze.