KURNOOL:Believe it or not! Every year, the monsoon turns several commoners rich overnight in several villages such as Jonnagiri, Tuggali, Maddikera, Pagidirayi, Peravali, Mahanandi and Mahadevapuram in the diamond-rich area of this district. Or so, they believe.
With the onset of monsoon the villagers temporarily abandon their houses and live in makeshift tents in areas around Sarvanarasimha Swamy temple in Sirivella mandal headquarters between June and November and ‘hunt’ for precious stones — said to show up in the area after rain washes away several layers of the earth. It is believed Emperor Srikrishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire and his minister Timmarusu had buried a big treasure chest full of gems and golden ornaments near the temple and that it had somehow got opened spilling its contents and that the diamonds were now showing up every monsoon.
According to reliable sources, an agriculture labourer chanced upon a diamond worth Rs 17 lakh in Jonnagiri village of Tuggali mandal on Friday and a farmer found a diamond worth Rs 2 lakh at Peravali village in Maddikera mandal three days back. Locals of nearby villages found diamonds worth Rs 10 lakh near their places a couple of days back, it is said. According to estimates of the sources, people of Sirivella and Mahanandi are chancing upon diamonds worth Rs 4 cr every year, while those of Maddikera and Tuggali mandals are finding diamonds worth Rs 5 cr. The diamond find is turning several commoners rich overnight, they claim.
Apart from the locals, several enthusiasts from neighboring districts like Anantapur, Kadapa and Prakasam of Andhra Pradesh and Bellary of Karnataka are also said to be testing their luck by participating in the ‘diamond hunt’.
And the presence of diamonds in the area has also brought in teams of scientists from the US and Australia to study the phenomenon, apart from several foreign firms to undertake excavations in the above areas.
A foreign company is reported to have taken 50 acres in Mahanandi and Mahadevapuram areas near Nallamala forests on lease and carrying out excavations with proclainers for the last five years. In the past, another international firm had taken up excavations in the villages of Maddikera, Jonnagiri, Peravali, Basinipalle, Madanahantha and Hampa villages but had given up the exercise as futile.
Interestingly, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Tushar Gandhi is also reported to have shown interest in the ‘diamond hunt’ and adopted Pagidirayi, P Kothur and Chinnajonnagiri villages for the purpose.
He is said to have visited Maddikera and Tuggali villages five years ago and told locals that 25 per cent of whatever he earned through sale of diamonds found there would be spent for the development of the two villages. While the villagers of Maddikera claim that they keep finding diamonds and gems near their village on a regular basis, the villagers of Peravali and Jonnagiri say that they sell them to local merchants and middlemen, who in turn sell the same to big traders in Gutti of Anantapur district.
Meanwhile, the police who are aware of the annual diamond hunt by the villagers have chosen to turn a blind eye to the same — apparently happy with the ‘mamool’ paid to them by the hunters or as some officials believe, it is just rumour and nothing else.