Vows forgotten and proposals put on backburner have resulted in priceless heritage of Hyderabad staying away from the city and remaining confined to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) vaults in New Delhi.

It had been almost a decade since the Nizam’s jewels, a precious collection with value running into several thousand crore rupees, was exhibited on temporary basis in the city. The then A.P. government vowed to have the collection brought to the city and put on a permanent display here and several proposals were drafted too.

Comprising 173 exquisite pieces, including the famed 184.50-carat Jacob diamond from the treasury of the erstwhile Nizams of Hyderabad, the collection has been with the Union government and deposited in the safe vaults of the RBI.

Few other pieces of the royal compilation include priceless uncut Colombian emeralds, rare carat Alexandrite ring, a necklace with 12 flat diamonds and emerald armbands weighing 150 carats said to have belonged to the Mysore ruler, Tipu Sultan.

Hyderabad, the city to which the jewellery actually belongs, twice hosted exhibition of the collection in the year 2001 and 2006 at Salar Jung Museum which had large crowds thronging for a look.

‘Security not an issue’

Former Director of Salar Jung Museum A.K.V.S. Reddy, who supervised the temporary exhibitions in the city, says the priceless collection belonged to the city and argues a permanent facility to display them here was not unviable.

“Security is key aspect for such galleries and a decade ago when it was displayed here, we had to deploy nearly 120 security personnel. However, with more advanced technologies in the form of camera surveillance and alarms, the requirement will be less,” he says.

Salar Jung Museum officials rule out the possibility of hosting a permanent exhibition of such precious collection at its premises now given the developments at the museum.Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali describes the collection of erstwhile Nizam rulers as an asset of the city and says all efforts will be made to get it here for a permanent display.

(The Hindu)