INDIA: UNBELIEVABLE TREASURE FOUND IN JAIGARH FORT
Amber| A group of construction workers employed to the restoration of the ancient Moghul structure near Jaipur, in Rajasthan, have uncovered last week, an incredible stash of jewellery and gemstones that could be worth billions of dollars.
The massive treasure hoard is consituted of more than twenty different types of precious stones, including diamonds, rubies, emeralds and opals, almost all faceted with great craftsmanship and ability. The amount of jewellery and stones is just incredible, totalling an incredible 350 kilograms. On top of that, the stash also contained many ancient ceramics and crystalware item of inestimable value.
Many extensive searches had been carried out unsuccessfully on the site in the past, as it was rumoured that two different treasures could be held inside the fort. The first was an incredible loot linked to the Afghan campaigns of the Moghul Qiladar (governor or castellan), Raja Mansingh, who lived in the fort. The other is an accumulated treasure belonging to the Kachwaha rulers of Amber, that was rumored to have been stacked in the fort precincts.
A famous search has notably been ordered during the Emergency declared by the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 1975 to 1977. Army units had then searched the sites for three months without success. Another futile search was also launched, in 1977, of all the buildings in the fort, by the Indian Income Tax department, using metal detectors. It was then mostly conjectured that Sawai Jai Singh probably used the treasure to build the city of Jaipur. This new discovery now confirms that a big part of the treasure was actually left unspent.
At the moment, the Royal family of Jaipur retains possession of all the artefacts, but both the Indian and Pakistani government have announced that they would undertake legal procedures to obtain their “legitimate” part of the treasure.