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XVI.
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THE TAJ-E-MAH.
The
Diamond Works of Sumbhulpore—Mining Under Difficulties—Diamond Seekers
at Work—A Famous Region— Robbed and Exiled—A Monarch on the Rack—The
Royal Torturer Assassinated—A Gorgeous Bracelet-Royal Gems—Uncivilized
Persia—A Strange Story— The Philosophic Content of a Blinded King.
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HIS
gem is acknowledged to be of Indian origin, and has the character of a
Godavery stone. It is like its twin the Darya-i-Nùr, of first water,
and is claimed by the diamond finders as a Mahanuddy which in Sanscrit
is the synonym of " great river," and is appropriated to the stream
which runs from west to east and falls into the Bay of Bengal.
The
diamond works of Sumbhulpore are not rich in large first class
diamonds, but they have been remarkable for their clear water. The
reason of the ill success attending the working of these
diamanti-ferous fields is that in the north the jungle, in addition to
being pestiferous, is the haunt of the tiger and the leopard. Natives
also affirm that it is the only spot in India where the lion has been
found. It is rich in gold and produces gems of the first water. The
petty chiefs have always striven to keep the knowledge of this
unpeopled mining district to themselves fearing alike the Mahratta and
Mohammedan interference. They have generally taken quiet possession
of such produce as was washed down the torrent
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