Rajasthan, the land of Royalty was on the hit-list of foreign invaders since long. History of India is a witness to Mahmud Ghazni and Mohammad Ghori’s assault on India’s never-ending wealth. However, it was INC (Congress) leader Indira Gandhi turned to Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts to drain the castle’s wealth. However, it seems that Rajasthan will never cease to amaze us with its potential. The state made it to tabloids again when a group of villagers in Tonk came across gold coins in a stone quarry this October. Following this incident, Rajasthan police launched a massive hunt to recover unaccounted for gold from these villagers.
Rush for Gold in Tonk, Archaeologists Say the Coins are Valuable
Ever since large throngs of people from neighbouring regions started exploring mines and stone quarries in Rajasthan, it attracted government’s attention. After putting in relentless efforts, the government was able to recover two coins from a local jeweller. Upon inspecting the coins, the Jaipur branch of Archaeological Survey of India revealed that the coins were too valuable. Research reveals they belonged to the Gupta periods.
The coins were probably from Kumaragupta (414-485 AD) or Samudragupta’s time (335-380 AD). Moreover, the ASI team now suspects that the said area might have more coins buried underneath. Also, there are rumours the villagers have scoured around 2000 coins from gold pit and they’ve illegally taken it into their possession.
Determined to return the coins to appropriate place that is museum, Rajasthan police has been conducting frequent raids in villages surrounding the gold mine. They’ve plans to seal the location to prevent public scouring in future.
Last week, Rajasthan government conducted a raid in Janakipuram and adjoining regions, asking the natives to return their hidden treasures to authorities. Police vans made announcements on loudspeakers regarding this and published ads to generate awareness. According to Preeti Jain, District SP, the coins are government property and the police will take appropriate action against offenders who hold them illegally.
Will this cease the gold rush? We don’t think so. It might have put a damper on villagers’ plans, but we saw people laundering near the site, waiting to cease an opportunity.
