Andhra Pradesh Magazine English May 2016 | Page 10

STATe wAS crADle of All PrecIouS SToneS

DIAMONDS OF AP

In the backdrop of the debate on Kohinoor diamond in the possession of the British,
it is pertinent to remember that most of the precious diamonds, presently with various nations, were actually mined from the present day Andhra Pradesh.

T

The diamonds from Kollur are
known to the world by various
names due to historical reasons. In the fourteenth century,
the diamonds from Rayalaseema were known as Vijayanagara diamonds as the region
was under their rule. Then in
the 16th century, the Andhra
and Rayalaseema diamonds
were known after Golconda, as
the regions were under their
control. Later, in the 18th century, the Nizams controlled the
regions and hence the diamonds found during this period
were named as Nizam diamonds.

he Supreme Court of
India is hearing a plea to
get back the precious
Kohinoor diamond from
the British Government. An
interesting fact that many Telugus are not aware is that not
only Kohinoor but several
other most famous and precious diamonds across the
world have their origin in
Andhra Pradesh, especially
Kollur in Guntur district.
Historical records note that diamond excavation was a major
vocation in the 17th and 18th
centuries in Andhra Pradesh.
As many as 60,000 labourers
were employed in Kollur Diamond alone. In the present day
Kurnool area, about 30,000
workers were involved in diamond mines. The commander of Golconda Mir Jumla II apparently employed 12,000 labourers to search for diamonds in
Kadapa area.
The Kollur Mine ) in the Guntur district was one of the most
productive diamond mines in the world and the first major diamond centre. It is situated on the south bank of the River Krishna. It operated between the 16th and mid-19th centuries. In
addition to the Kollur, Paritala, Gollapally, Mallavally, Ramallakota, and Banganapally were extremely prolific mines in India
during this period. At the height of production, it was recorded
that around 60,000 people mined the region, including men,
women, and children of all ages.
Many of the most famous and notable diamonds were mined
from these early Indian mines, including the Koh-i-Noor, the Regent Diamond, the Great Mogul (all from the Kollur); the Dariai-Noor, the Orloff, the Dresden Green, and the Nassak Diamond.

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It is also significant to note that
the kingdoms during the
medieval period vied with one
another to control Andhra and
Rayalaseema due to mainly the fact that the diamond mining
and import and export through Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam
and other ports yielded good revenues to the king.
It could be said that the wealth of Kakatiya, Vijayanagara, Orugallu, Golconda and Nizam kingdoms could be attributed to a
large extent to the precious diamonds found in Andhra and
Rayalaseema.

A Brief History of Andhra Diamonds
Rafal Swiecki, geological engineer

Probably the largest of Indian diamonds is the Great Mogul, the
history of which is very obscure. This was seen in the treasury
of the Great Mogul, Aurungzebe, in 1665, by Tavernier, who
both drew and described the stone in detail. This diamond had
then the form of a very high and round rosette (Plate 4., Fig. 2),
and was of good water. It weighed 319 ratis, which Tavernier

ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG

MAY 2016