GOLKONDA AND BIJAPUR DIAMOND MINES 353
some future occasion to republish this paper of the Earl Marshal's in extenso, with
annotations, I shall at present limit myself to a brief enumeration of
the localities, their proper modern names being given in brackets.
The
Golkonda Mines are—1. Quolure ; this is Tavernier's Coulour or Gani
[Kollur]. This is said to have been the first mine worked in Golkonda,
but was then, 1677, almost exhausted. 2. Codawillicul [Kodavatakullu].
3. Malabar [Malawaram]. 4. Buttephalem [Barthenypadu, near Partial]. 5.
Ramiah [?]. C. Gurem [?]. 7. Muttampellee [near Karur ?]. These five (?
six) were under the same government as that of Melwillee [Malavalle or
Muleli], see below. 8. Currure [Wajra- or Vajra-Karur, in the Guty
Taluk of the Bellary District]. This identification is confirmed by the
statement that it, the most famous and most ancient of all the mines,
was taken some years previously, with the Carnatic, by Mir Jumla from
the Hindu Rajas. It is said that diamonds up to ' a seize (? ser)
weight, which was equal to about 9 ounces troy, or 81 j pagodas, had
been found there ; the mine was privately worked by the King, and the
stones produced from it were large and well spread', &c. I have
elsewhere quoted, see vol. ii, p. 42, the account of this mine having
been worked by a Portuguese gentleman. 9. Ganjeeconta [Gunjeegonta].
10. Lattawar1 [Lattwara]. These two last are respectively 1
and 10 miles SW. of Wajra-Karur. 11. Jonagerre [?]. 12. Pirai[?]. 13.
Dugulle [?]. 14. Purwillee[?]. These four last I cannot identify. 15.
Anuntapellee [Anantapur ? is 20 miles from Wajra-Karur. Dr. King (Mem. Geol. Surv. India, vol.
viii, p. 101) alludes to a diamond being found there]. 16. Girregeta
[Goulagoonta]. 17. Maarmood [?]. 18. Wazzergerre [Wajirfibad ?]. 19.
Munnemurg [Muni-madagu in Karnul]. The two last are said to have been
the deepest mines ; they were carried to depths of 40 to 50 fathoms.
Some interesting details are given as to the process of mining. 20.
Langumboot [?] ; process of mining as in the preceding. 21. Whootoor
[Hotoor ?] near Karur. 22. Muddemurg [Madagula ? in centre of Palnad
Taluk, Kistnfi District. This identification is founded on the
statement that the locality was about 9 miles from the Kistna river].
23. Melwillee, or new mine [Malavalle or Muleli], worked first from
1670-71, then closed, but reopened in 1673 by the King's licence, owing
to the Kollur mine becoming exhausted.
In Bljftpur there were 15 mines, of which only those yielding the smallest stones were allowed by the King to be worked,
1
This, as also some of the other localities, are given by Dutens and
Castellani as being in Asia !—a rather wide geographical expression;
they have long been objects of search to me, till traced by means of
this paper.
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