Golconda Fort

'Hast thou from the caves of Golconda, a gem
Pure as the ice-drop that froze on the mountain?'
- John Keats
  On Receiving a Curious Shell

Ah Golconda! 'Jewels of great Emperors flash in its very consonants,' reads a quote from an old guidebook to its fort and tombs. The ruins which remain today are imposing still, if somewhat less atmospheric than the other great ruins of India.

There was a time when all the diamonds in the world came from the mines around the fort, and its bazaars would have teemed with commerce centered around the glittering gems of the Deccan and beyond: diamonds, of course – but also blood-red rubies, enormous emeralds and lustrous pearls, all set against the gleam of gold.