Top 10 biggest Indian treasures yet to be recovered

New Delhi: India was the richest country of the world before British and other colonialists invaded this nation. India used to be called "sone ki chidiya" (golden bird).The British rulers, apart from foreign invaders stole the country's treasurers, including the famous Kohinoor diamond and Takht-e-Taus (Golden Peacock Throne). Here is a list of treasures of India that are yet to be discovered, though several of the tales are said to be apocryphal:1. Sri Mokkambika temple, Karnataka The temple is located in the foothills of Kollur, Western Ghats in Karnataka.The temple's annual income is Rs 17 crores but the development work of the temple accounts for more than Rs 35 crores.Priests of the temple believe the symbol of serpent in the temple is a clear sign of great treasure hidden beneath the temple.The serpent is meant to protect the treasure from outsiders.Even barring the treasure, value of temple jewels itself is estimated to be more than Rs 100 crore.2. Krishna river treasure, Andhra Pradesh Some of the best diamonds of the world were mined in Kollur on the banks of Krishna River in the present day Krishna and Guntur districts that formed part of the Golconda Kingdom.The Kohinoor diamond was mined from these mines. It is believed that the diamond lay at the bottom of Krishna River.3. Charminar Tunnel, Hyderabad The tunnel connecting Charminar and Golconda fort is believed to have hidden treasures.The tunnel, which is believed to have been constructed by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, provided a safe passage to the royal family from Golconda fort to Charminar, in case of emergencies.In 1936, a survey was conducted of the tunnels, a map prepared and a report was submitted to Nizam Mir Osman Ali with several proposals for further detailed survey, but it was not clear why no follow up action was taken by the Nizam.It is still believed that there is treasure hidden in the chambers of the tunnel.4. Nadir Shah's treasure The Persian invader Nadir Shah attacked India in 1739 and entered Delhi with an army of 50,000 men.The plunder and loot that Nadir Shah's men carried out led to the massacre of 20,000-30,000 innocents in Delhi.The loot was so massive that his treasure caravan was said to be 150 miles long on his way back to Iran.According to an apocryphal tale, on his way back to Persia, he was murdered in his tent, but according to historical records he was actually murdered in1747.In any case, if the tale is to be believed, his assassin, Ahmad Shah succumbed to some illness and died a gruesome death, but locals believe before his death, he managed to conceal the bulk of Nadir Shah's treasure somewhere in the labyrinth of tunnels of Hindu Kush Mountains (probably in Kandahar).Nadir Shah's loot included millions of gold coins, sacks of jewels, the sacred Peacock Throne (now in Iran) and the fabled Koh-i-noor diamond, which today can be found in the British Crown Jewels.5. Sonbhandar Caves, Bihar Sonbhandar Caves are two rather strange cave chambers in Rajgir, Bihar that are hollowed out of a single massive rock.It is estimated to date back to at least 3rd – 4th century AD by the inscriptions in the western cave.The western chambers are believed to have been the guard room and the doorway is supposed to lead to King Bimbisara's Treasury.Inscriptions in the Sankhlipi script, etched into wall of the western cave and so far undeciphered, are believed to give the clue to open the doorway.The treasure, according to folklore, is still intact.The mark on the supposed doorway where the British tried to cannon ball (without success) their way through can still is seen. 6. Treasure of Mir Osman Ali, Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali was the last NIzam of Hyderabad. He ruled over an kingdom the size of England.In 2008, Forbes magazine listed the Nizam as the “fifth all-time wealthiest” person with a net worth of $210.8 billion, while TIME magazine called him the richest man in the world in 1937.When he inherited the throne in 1911, the kingdom's treasury was almost empty because of his father's extravagant lifestyle.In his 37 years of rule, he put the state's finances back on track and acquired fabulous personal wealth. His personal wealth was said to be stored in the underground chambers of King Kothi Palace (Hyderabad) where he spent most of his life.Among his treasure was the famed Nizam jewellery (173 magnificent pieces) studded with rubies, diamonds, pearls, sapphires and other precious stones beautifully embedded in gold and silver. 7. Mughal Treasure of Alwar, Rajasthan Alwar Fort is about 150 km from Delhi in the Alwar District of Rajasthan. According to local folklore, Mughal Emperor Jehangir took refuge here when he was exiled and that he hid his treasure here while on the run.It is believed that not all of the treasure was salvaged and most of it still lies hidden in the fort.Even before the rise of Mughal Empire, Kingdom of Alwar was a prosperous one and its treasure among other things is believed to have consisted of a drinking cup cut out of a single emerald. 8. Treasure of Man Singh 1, Jaipur Man Singh I was commander of Akbar's army and a former ruler of Jaipur. He was one of the Navaratan of Akbar's royal courts.According to a local legend, on his return from the Afghan conquest in 1580s, he never shared his loot with Akbar and hid this treasure in Jaigarh fort.Some believe the treasure was stored in the underground tanks of the fort courtyard.This theory is given credence by the fact that a search was ordered by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the emergency for the treasure.According to “official reports” the search was said to be futile.The opposition in Parliament later alleged that after nearly six months of search, Delhi-Jaipur road was closed to general public and the treasure was transported to Prime Minister's residence in military trucks.It is hard to tell which one of the above is true.Hence the treasure either lies hidden in the fort or it was salvaged by the Indian Government.9. Wreck of the Grosvenor (South Africa) To find this treasure, one might have to go a long way out of India. Grosvenor is considered to be the richest and the biggest British East Indian ship ever lost.The Grosvenor left Madras to England via Ceylon in March 1782 with precious cargo aboard. On August 4th, 1782, it wrecked on a reef about 700 miles northeast of Cape Town, South Africa.The cargo on the ship is said to have included 2,600,000 gold Pagoda coins (weight unknown), 1,400 gold ingots (weight unknown), nineteen chests of diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires from India that were all lost to the sea along with the ship.The ship was claimed to have been found and only a tiny portion of the treasure salvaged, but the rest of the treasure is yet to be discovered.If the treasure is found in international waters by an Indian, he might have a strong case in declaring its ownership as it will either be taken by Indian government or the finder (maybe an Indian). 10. Padmanabhaswamy Temple Chamber B, Kerala Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala shot to international fame when an underground vault (vault A) was opened under court orders in June of 2011.The officials were surprised at what they saw inside.There were all kinds of jewelry, crowns, statues, common household articles made out of gold and studded with all kinds of precious stones.The antique value of the total treasure trove was estimated to be $22 billion. Supreme Court later ordered that vault B will be opened only after proper documentation of articles of vault A and preservation of it and it would be opened with proper security.It has been more than 1.5 years since the first door was opened. According to the local legends and temple priests, the treasure in vault B is protected by giant serpents and that breaking its will bring massive disaster.Treasure in vault B is estimated by temple priests to be more than what was found in vault A.

Top 10 biggest Indian treasures yet to be recovered

New Delhi: India was the richest country of the world before British and other colonialists invaded this nation. India used to be called "sone ki chidiya" (golden bird).The British rulers, apart from foreign invaders stole

Read all the Breaking News Live on indiatvnews.com and Get Latest English News & Updates from India