Digging up a school for suspected treasure that may be buried beneath may sound bizarre, but the search for hidden treasure is an annual ritual in many parts of Andhra Pradesh.
Every monsoon, hundreds of people in Kurnool, Krishna and Visakhapatnam districts search riverbeds and hill slopes for diamonds and precious stones that the rains may have unearthed.
Treasure hunters down the ages have dug up almost everything that had even the remotest association with treasure troves. From graves to old trees, palaces to temples, abandoned houses to forest tracts, drains to tunnels, and riverbeds to hill slopes - all have been the target of treasure seekers in Andhra Pradesh.
The chances of finding the treasure is said to be four in 100 attempts.
The search for elusive treasure is not entirely without reason. Historically and geologically, Andhra Pradesh has the second largest mineral resource in India and the State can boast of producing seven of the world’s top 10 diamonds including the Kohinoor.
The last ruler of the erstwhile Hyderabad State was the richest man of his times. The empires of
Vijayanagar, Kakatiya, Golconda, and Kondaveedu in the more recent past, as also the Satavahanas,
Vishnukundinis and Chalukyas in the distant past, were known for their vast treasures and wealth.
"A treasure hunt is often triggered by a folk tale. There have been hundreds of cases of vandalism in and around Hyderabad with organised gangs of treasure seekers digging up even ancient graves.
Unlike other States, Andhra Pradesh sits on a treasure trove of natural resources and those left
by its rich and magnificent rulers. Several palaces had special vaults where treasure was stored.
Unfortunately, they were stolen by family members and servants after the fall of the kingdoms,” says Hyderabad city historian Dr Muhammad Safiullah.
Incidentally, even as the archaeology department was digging up the premises of Vidyaranya school
in Hyderabad, a few hundred kilometres away, in Tirupati, about 40 diamond experts from around the
world, including South Africa and the UK, were participating in a GSI Geological Survey of India
meeting as part of the national diamond project to unearth diamonds.
The GSI has found 53 kimberlite formations in Rayalaseema region.
Andhra Pradesh has a special tribe whose members search for treasure in municipal drains, sieving
the sludge. A day-long search in the sewerage yields them money just sufficient to buy food for the family.
The National Mineral Development Corporation, the Geological Survey of India and multinational diamond majors search for diamonds and precious stones using modern technology, but the common man uses simple metal detectors and ground scanners and depends on local folklore to zero in on the treasure.
The family of the Nizams, erstwhile rulers of the State, are said to be still searching for the missing Nizam diamond, which is believed to be worth Rs 1000 crore in the international market. The
Nizam's diamond was last seen 60 years ago in the State treasury of the then Hyderabad State.
It went missing in mysterious circumstances just before the Indian Army annexed the State in 1948.
The diamond weighs 277 carats and the World Diamond Council lists it as one of the 'mysterious precious stones' of historical importance.
It is the second largest diamond ever mined from the Krishna valley (Golconda mines) after the Great Moghul diamond.
Accidental finds of treasure have been a regular affair in the State. Coins found during ploughing
of fields and renovation of old houses now number over six lakh. The State Archaeology Museum has
thousands of gold coins, which together weigh about 130 kg. Their antiquity value is almost ten times more than their metal value.
According to Dr P. Channa Reddy, State Treasure Trove officer, several locations in and around
Hyderabad are said to harbour treasures. Hyderabad had several secret air ducts, chambers and tunnels where money and valuable jewellery were stored.
It is believed that the city had in fact two underground palaces near the Chowk abutting Charminar
locality. Called the Dad Mahal and Moti Mahal, the underground palaces were reportedly built by
the Qutub Shahis for protection from the invading Moghuls. These palaces, now lost, reportedly
contained several valuables.
The precious stones and diamonds collected during the rainy season along the river Krishna and its
tributaries and on hill slopes are secretly sold in Vijayawada, Hyderabad and Adhoni in Kurnool
district.
The spots said to yield treasures during the monsoon include Adhoni, Alur, Holigonda, Aspari and Pathikonda in Kurnool district, Vajrakarur and Vuravakonda in Anantapur, and Jaggaiahpet, Paritala
and Ramannapet in Krishna district. Precious and coloured stones are found in the Agency areas of
Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.
Andhra Pradesh has been the favourite hunting ground of treasure searchers for several centuries.
Treasure hunting gangs armed with metal detectors and scanners have vandalised several places in and around Hyderabad.
They believe that the person in charge of the treasury of Tana Shah, the last of the Qutub Shahi kings, fled with the Qutub Shahi jewels from the invading Moghul army and the treasure was
hidden somewhere around Golconda.
In the last 15 years, the State’s diamond resources grew by 350 times to 20 lakh carats, as teams from the GSI, NGRI and other organisations studied new areas for the presence of diamonds.
Andhra Pradesh is rich in 48 minerals and it stands second in value of mineral production, contributing eight per cent (Rs 4857 crore) of the country's mineral value production of Rs 59, 509 crore.
It earns foreign exchange of Rs 634 crore. Gold occurs in 11 districts and diamonds are found over 50,000 sq km spread over nine districts.