8 Munn, Ancient Mines and Megaliths in Hyderabad 



The Wondalli heap measures 150 ft. by no ft. by 25 ft. 

 high and must contain 375,000 cubic feet, and is smaller than 

 the one at Machnur. The mass is dull white to brownish in 

 colour and here and there shows a certain amount of fusion. 

 It is unnecesary for me to give references to the Aryan 

 habit of huge sacrifices, or to mention the custom of burning 

 the dead on the battle field, but these mounds are of such 

 enormous size that it is incredible that this could have been 

 their origin. A few stone circles exist in the vicinity. 



Diamonds. 



Diamonds seem to have been worked in the Deccan from 

 the earliest times, and it is only needful to mention the name 

 of the old Hindu Capital Golconda (Kala Kandar) to recall 

 the fame of the industry. 



The diamond workings are of two classes — mines in the 

 quartzites, sandstones and conglomerates of the Purana 

 Group, and alluvial in the beds of rivers and streams which 

 traverse those rocks. 



It seems to be generally acknowledged 4 that India was the 

 original source from whence the diamond came to the west 

 and continued as the main supplier until the finding of the 

 Brazilian mines. 



As regards the ethnology of the miners, there is nothing 

 to connect the earliest workings with Aryan influence ; though 

 in later times the Dravidian tribes became to a certain extent 

 merged into the Hindu caste scheme — the industry remained 

 in the hands of these outcasts to the present day. 



On the accompanying map will be found most of the 

 places made famous by Tavern ier ; besides those are marked 

 some other spots where both alluvial and traces of pits, 

 probably sunk in search of diamonds, have been noticed. 



Copper. 



The large area of old copper workings, both in Hyderabad 

 State and bordering the State to the South, are scattered over 

 an area of apparently very low grade cupriferous slates. 

 These workings were always a puzzle to me, until I hit upon 

 the secret, by finding the village Dhobi at Chintrala beating- 

 out his Dhotti's on a slab of practically pure melaconite. 



The ancients (at any rate in my district) carried out most 

 extensive rabbit-warren-like workings in search of these 

 pockets of high-grade ore, the product of surface enrichment. 



4. See B. Laufer's report on " The Diamond in the Field." Columbia 

 Museum (Chicago) reports. 



