1. TOP 10 ALLEGED
INDIAN TREASURES
BY
J.JAYAKRISHNAN

2. • India was the richest country long before British rule
and long after numerous conquests from outside
invaders. Territories of most of the kings were larger
than England, Spain, Portugal, France or Germany. The
number of invaders that invaded India are too
numerous to count and all through this some departed
with the loot while others stayed here to rule. Most of
the treasures belonging to royal families were seized
after India’s Independence by Indian government. Here
is a list of Top 10 Alleged Indian treasure that remain a
legend, yet to be discovered and have become a part of
the local folklore.

3. 10. Sri Mookambika Temple (Kollur, Karnataka)

4. Sri Mookambika Temple nestled in the foothills of
Western Ghats of Kollur in Karnataka is a busy local
pilgrimage. The temple sees a huge surge in the
devotees in the nine-day Navaratri festival. A bizarre
note to be made here is that over the last few years
temple’s income hasn’t exceed 17 crores; however, the
shrine board has spent more than 35 croresfor
developmental projects over the last 10 years. Priests
of the temple believe the symbol of serpent in the
temple is a clear sign of great hidden treasure beneath
the temple. The serpent is meant to protect the
treasure from the outsiders. Even barring the treasure,
value of temple jewels itself is estimated to be more
than 100 crores.

5. 9. Krishna River Treasure (Golconda,
Andhra Pradesh)

6. Golconda was once known for its world
renowned diamond mines. Most of the
mines were located along the banks of
River Krishna. The world famed Koh-i-noor
and Hope Diamonds were mined from
these mines. Golconda mines were last
mined in the 14th century and India
remained the only source of diamonds in
the world up until the late 19th century.
The exact location of these mines remains
unknown. In December of 2012 a group
of western treasure hunters along with a
television crew set on journey to find
diamonds in the bottom of Krishna River
and finds the original Golconda mine,
which they were even successful to some
extent. It is still believed that diamonds
from the Golconda mines still lay
scattered in the bottom of Krishna River.

7. 8. Charminar Tunnel (Hyderabad,
Andhra Pradesh)

8. There is an underground tunnel that
connects the Charminar to Golconda Fort
that was constructed by Sultan
Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah to serve as
an escape passage in times of
emergencies. The tunnel that still exists
between these two historic structures is
believed to have treasures at various
places to be used in emergencies by the
royal family. The tunnels are said to be 15
feet wide and 30 feet high. In 1936, a
survey was conducted of the tunnels, a
map prepared and a report was submitted
to Nizam Mir Osman Ali with several
proposals for further detailed survey, but
it was not clear why no followup action
was taken by the Nizam. It is still believed
that there is treasure hidden in the
chambers of the tunnel.

9. 7. Nadir Shah’s Treasure (Hindu Kush Range)

10. Nadir Shah invaded India in 1739 and attacked
Delhi with an army of 50,000 men. The
plunder and loot that Nadir Shah gained from
the massacre of Delhi (20,000-
30,000 innocents killed) was so massive that
his treasure caravan was said to be 150 miles
long on his way back to Iran. According to a
legend it is believed that on his way back to
Persia, he was murdered in his tent, but
according to historical records he was actually
murdered in1747. In any case, if the legend is
to be believed, his assassin, Ahmad Shah
succumbed to some illness and died a
gruesome death, but locals believe before his
death, he managed to conceal the bulk of
Nadir Shah’s treasure somewhere in labyrinth
of tunnels of Hindu Kush Mountains (probably
in Kandahar). Nadir Shah’s loot included
millions of gold coins, sacks of jewels, the
sacred Peacock Throne (now in Iran) and the
fabled Koh-i-noor diamond, which today can
be found in the British Crown Jewels.

12. Sonbhandar Caves are two rather strange
cave chambersin Rajgir, Bihar that are
hollowed out of a single massive rock. It is
estimated to date back to at least 3rd –
4th century AD by the inscriptions in the
western cave. The western chambers is
believed to have been the guard room and
the doorway is supposed to lead to King
Bimbisara’s Treasury. Inscriptions in the
Sankhlipi script, etched into wall of the
western cave and so far undeciphered, are
believed to give the clue to open the
doorway. The treasure, according to
folklore, is still intact. The mark on the
supposed doorway where the British tried
to cannon ball (without success) their way
through can still be seen.

13. 5. Treasure of Mir Osman Ali (Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh)

14. Mir Osman Ali was the last NIzam of Hyderabad. He
ruled over an kingdom the size of England. In 2008,
Forbes magazine listed the Nizam as the “fifth all-
time wealthiest” person with a net worth of $210.8
billion, while TIME magazine called him the richest
man in the world in 1937. When he inherited the
throne in 1911, the kingdom’s treasury was almost
empty because of his father’s extravagant lifestyle. In
his 37 years of rule, he put the state’s finances back
on track and acquired fabulous personal wealth. His
personal wealth was said to be stored in the
underground chambers of King Kothi Palace
(Hyderabad) where he spent most of his life. Among
his treasure was the famed Nizam jewellery (173
magnificent pieces) studded with rubies, diamonds,
pearls, sapphires and other precious stones
beautifully embedded in gold and silver. When
Hyderabad merged into the Indian union in 1948,
Indian Government was only able to acquire a
fraction of the 5000 Crore worth of jewellery. No one
knows what happened to the rest of his treasure.
There is no mention of his vast wealth in state
records or his personal records. It is widely believed
the remaining jewels of Nizam are still buried
somewhere in the underground chambers of King
Kothi Palace.

15. 4. Mughal Treasure of Alwar (Alwar, Rajasthan)

16. Alwar Fort is about 150 km from
Delhi in the Alwar District of
Rajasthan. According to local
folklore, Mughal Emperor Jehangir
took refuge here when he was
exiled and that he hid his treasure
here while on the run. It is believed
that not all of the treasure was
salvaged and most of it still lies
hidden in the fort. Even before the
rise of Mughal Empire, Kingdom of
Alwar was a prosperous one and its
treasure among other things is
believed to have consisted of a
drinking cup cut out of a single
emerald.

17. 3. Treasure of Man Singh 1 (Jaipur, Rajasthan)

18. Man Singh I was commander of Akbar’s army and a former ruler of Jaipur. He was one
of the Navaratan of Akbar’s royal court. According to a local legend, on his return from
the Afghan conquest in 1580s, he never shared his loot with Akbar and hid this
treasure in Jaigarh fort. Some believe the treasure was stored in the underground
tanks of the fort courtyard. This theory is given credence by the fact that a search was
ordered by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the emergency for the treasure.
According to “official reports” the search was said to be futile. It is interesting to note
that statements were raised later by opposition in Parliament later that after nearly six
months of search, Delhi-Jaipur road was closed to general public and the treasure was
transported to Prime Minister’s residence in military trucks. It is hard to tell which one
of the above is true. Hence the treasure either lies hidden in the fort or it was salvaged
by the Indian Government.
There is also another entirely different legend of Man Singh’s treasure. According to
this legend after every conquest, Man Singh would first present the loot to Jodha Bai
(Akbar’s wife) before presenting it to Akbar. Jodha Bai used to skim a portion of riches
and hide it in a temple in Fatehpur Sikri. Locals believe the temple over time was
buried and the treasure still lies underneath the temple.

19. 2. Wreck of the Grosvenor (South Africa)

20. To find this treasure, one might have to go a
long way out of India. Grosvenor is considered
to be the richest and the biggest British East
Indian ship ever lost. The Grosvenor left
Madras to England via Ceylon in March 1782
with precious cargo aboard. On August 4th,
1782, it wrecked on a reef about 700 miles
northeast of Cape Town, South Africa. The
cargo on the ship is said to have included
2,600,000 gold Pagoda coins (weight
unknown), 1,400 gold ingots (weight
unknown), nineteen chests of diamonds,
emeralds, rubies and sapphires from India that
were all lost to the sea along with the ship. The
ship was claimed to have been found and only
a tiny portion of the treasure salvaged, but the
rest of the treasure is yet to be discovered. If
the treasure is found in international waters by
an Indian, he might have a strong case in
declaring its ownership as it will either be
taken by Indian government or the finder
(maybe an Indian).

21. 1. Padmanabhaswamy Temple Chamber B
(Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)

22. Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Thiruvananthapuram in the state of
Kerala shot to international fame when an underground vault (vault A)
was opened under court orders in June of 2011. The officials were
surprised at what they saw inside. There were all kinds of jewelry,
crowns, statues, common household articles made out of gold and
studded with all kinds of precious stones. The antique value of the
total treasure trove was estimated to be $22 billion. Supreme Court
later ordered that vault B will be opened only after proper
documentation of articles of vault A and preservation of it and it
would be opened with proper security. It has been more than 1.5
years since the first door was opened. According to the local legends
and temple priests, the treasure in vault B is protected by giant
serpents and that breaking its will bring massive disaster. Treasure in
vault B is estimated by temple priests to be more than what was found
in vault A.

23. BY
J.JAYAKRISHNAN