← Explore on the interactive map

Golconda Diamond Mines

Type Object Region South Asia Time 1500–1700

A group of diamond mines in the Golconda Sultanate on India's Deccan Plateau, famous for alluvial deposits like Kollur;…

Timeline

  1. 1518–1600Golconda · TelanganaThe Golconda Sultanate controlled alluvial deposits like Kollur, establishing strict controls over diamond mining and export; diamonds were transshipped via Muscat and Surat to Persian, Ottoman, and European markets.
  2. 1600–1660Kollur mining district · Andhra PradeshAfter the Mughals annexed Golconda they tightened monopoly control over the diamond mines; the Kollur district produced large quantities of high-quality rough stones, becoming the main source of jewels for European royalty and nobility.
  3. 1661–1670Surat diamond trade port · GujaratIn the 1660s Surat remained the core port where European East India Companies procured Indian diamonds; Dutch and English merchants obtained Golconda rough stones there and shipped them to Amsterdam for cutting and processing.
  4. 1670–1700Kollur mining district · Andhra PradeshWorkable reserves of the Kollur alluvial deposits were increasingly exhausted and mining costs rose; Golconda's dominance in the global diamond market began to wane, foreshadowing the later rise of Brazilian mines.

Sources