KURNOOL: The annual hunt for ‘rangu rallu’ (coloured stones) in Tuggali mandal of Kurnool district might fetch a bounty for the lucky ones, but for the farmers in the region, the hunt is proving to be a bane.
With hundreds of people from all over the district, and even from Karnataka, trampling their fields every year at a time when their crop is germinating, the farmers, this year, have vowed not to let treasure hunters ruin their crop. Armed with sticks, farmers have formed groups and are driving away treasure hunters from the fields.
Anticipating trouble, police have also started counselling the hunters not to venture into fields and create problems for the farmers.
Several farmers in the villages of Tuggali, Chippagiri and Maddikera mandals, where the diamond hunt began after the first rains of the season, have put up request boards urging the treasure hunters not to dig their fields as it would damage their crops.
For the last couple of weeks, the villagers have been looking after their fields round-the-clock and formed groups to prevent the treasure hunters from trespassing into their farm lands.Every year treasure hunters dig the soil in nearly 15,000 hectares of agriculture fields to find diamonds.
Crops like ground nut, red gram, cotton, tomato, millets are cultivated in the region and currently, these crops are in the germination stage.The villagers are leaving no stone unturned and are even making announcements in villages like Jonnagiri, Pagidirai, Peravali urging the treasure hunters against entering into the region. They have also warned the trespassers of punishments.Some farmers, armed with sticks, stay awake all night to keep a watch on treasure hunting in their farm land.
A farmer, B Maddilety, from Peravali village rued, “Every year, we suffer losses with the outsiders digging out our fields indiscriminately in search of precious stones. This year, we won’t allow them to damage our crops.’’Another farmer, Ranga Goud, urged the police to book cases against the strangers who trespass into the fields, searching for coloured stones and diamonds. He also demanded action against the diamond traders who wait to buy the precious stones. “These traders are the real culprits as they encourage outsiders to take up a massive diamond hunt,” Goud alleged.
He further asked the government to offer compensation for the loss of crop due to such unauthorised activities. Speaking to TNIE, Jonnagiri police station sub-inspector K Ramanjaneyulu said if any Karmer lodges a complaint regarding the trespassing of unauthorised persons into the fields, they will take action. “We are counselling outsiders not to go into farm lands in search of precious stones as farmers have started cultivation,” he said.
Significance of treasure hunt after monsoon showers
Every year after the first rains of the season, treasure hunters from Anantapur, Kadapa and Prakasam districts and from Bellary in Karnataka arrive at fields in Jonnagiri, Peravali, Pagidirayi, Tuggali, Basinepalle, Yerragudi, Madananthapuram, Maddikera, etc, looking to try their luck in finding precious stones. It is also believed that Sri Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara empire and his minister Timmarusu hid a treasure of gem stones which show up after the rain. About `4 crore worth diamonds are found in the fields every year
The science behind finding precious stones
A scientific research taken up by the geologists of Andhra Pradesh University in the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB) found a deposit of precious and semi-precious stones, including, alexandrite, cat’s eye, aquamarine, ruby, moonstone, garnet, tourmaline, sillimanite, zicron, epidote, rock crystal, rose quartz, smoky quartz and green quartz, which are in high demand in States like Rajasthan and Gujarat