Golconda diamonds : a glittery past

    Golconda was an important centre for diamonds during the Qutub Shahi reign in Deccan history of India. There were about 38 mines in India out of which 23 were in the Golconda kingdom. These diamonds were a status symbol and rulers and royals wanted to own one. A bustling medieval market thrived at Golconda.

Golconda Fort view.

No machine-readable author provided. Bobsodium assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

Map showing mine areas.

By Ball - A Manual of the Geology of India, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42974684

The mines were present along the River Krishna. From there the raw stones were taken to the capital where they were cut and polished. Golconda was  thus not only a trading centre but a centre for expertise with diamonds. Trading was done at place called Caravan-i-sahu, near the fort.The diamond market was famous all over the world.The diamonds mined there came to be known as Golconda diamonds. Some of the mines were at Kollur,Partiyala,Gollapally, Mallavally,Ramallakota, Banganapally and Vajrakarur (old name).

Reports of the existence of diamonds had come from the accounts of the visit of Marco Polo the Venetian traveller (1254-1324) during the reign  of Kakaitya queen, Rudramadevi. Later another Venetian Niccolo de Conti who had travelled in the 15th century also reported the same.

Diamond mines in the kingdom of Golconda.

By P. van der Aa, Leyden, Leyden - http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1500_1599/golconda/earlyviews/earlyviews.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19044833

Golconda was a trade centre for other precious stones, spices and textiles. The diamond trade drew travellers from far including Europe. Jean Baptiste Tavernier , John de Thevenot and Francois Bernier were merchants who had travelled to Golconda and have left accounts of their travels.  The other visitors included Henry Howard, Benjamin Heyne,James Anderson,H. W Voysey,W.Scott, T.J. Newbold and Alexander Walker over the decades and centuries after Tavernier's visit.



Jean Baptiste Tavernier in Oriental dress,1679.

By Joan Hainzelman - Bibliothèque nationale de France, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2705050

Different types of mines were found. Sometimes it would be a tunnel or a pit or group pf pits in an area. Many workers used to be employed for mining including women, men used crowbars for digging and the women removed the earth. The mines were usually a few feet deep. Diamonds were an important trading item with Asia and Europe and Golconda has been one of the largest producer of diamonds between 16th and early 18th centuries.

The most important diamonds which still elicit interest are an impressive list; this includes the Kohinoor, the Hope diamond, and the Dariya-e-noor. The Sancy diamond is also from Golconda. Other diamonds include the Great Mogul, Golconda Graff, Great Table, Hastings, Idol's eye, Kirti noor, Noor al ain, Ahmedabad diamond,Pitt-Regent,Taj-i-man,Pigot diamond, Orlov diamond,Agra diamond etc.

Most of the Deccani diamonds have left the shores of India, exchanged hands  but the allure and mystique of these diamonds are forever.



The Hope diamond.

By Unknown - http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_8819, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19610890


Dariya-e-noor diamond.
By Unknown - Collection of the national jewels of Iran at Central Bank of Islamic Republic of Iran, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40817749




The Kohinoor diamond in the British crown.

By Cyril Davenport (1848 – 1941) - G. Younghusband; C. Davenport (1919). The Crown Jewels of England. London: Cassell & Co. p. 18., Public Domain, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49032641


The Regent-Pitt diamond.
By Ahnode - Nordisk familjebok, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6362452



The Sancy diamond.

By Ahnode (Nordisk familjebok) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


References :

• Khalidi,Omar/Romance of the Golconda diamonds, Ahmedabad : Mapin Publishing, 1999.
• wikipedia.org

Posted by :


Soma Ghosh


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