The Golconda Kingdom was particularly famous for its diamonds all over the world and was well known as the Country of Diamonds as stated by Thevenot, one of the three famous Frenchmen (the other two being Bernier and Tavernier) who travelled to India in the middle of the 17th century AD and described the Indian diamonds in their travel accounts (Oaten, 1973). During the reign of the Qutub Shahi dynasty of Golconda and the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur (AD 1489 – 1686), diamond-mining, cutting and polishing industry thrived and employed a large work-force to carry out various activities. By the 17th century AD, there were said to be 38 diamond mines, 23 under the Golconda Kingdom and 15 under the Bijapur (Visiapore in the past) Kingdom. The diamond industry by then was at its zenith, and the development of lapidary and trading skills of diamonds made Golconda famous the world over, as the Diamond Capital of the past. Golconda was not just a mining area but a trading place, not only for the diamonds found in the Kingdom but also the diamonds from other parts of the Deccan. The riches of Golconda and the valuable foreign trade in diamonds and other minerals became the envy of many, resulting in the invasion of the fort twice, in 1656 and 1687, by Aurangzeb of the Moghul dynasty.
Source: ‘Diamonds in the Deccan: An Overview’ by S. V. Satyanarayana
Source: ‘Diamonds in the Deccan: An Overview’ by S. V. Satyanarayana