Jewels Of The Nizams

About the Book : - The first-ever study of one of the most outstanding collections of gemstones and jewellery of a fabulously wealthy dynasty of India that ruled the Deccan for seven generations. Sometimes worn but never shown, these jewels belonged to the Nizams of Hyderabad, once reputed to be the richest men in the world. Finely crafted from gold and silver and exquisitely enamelled, the jewels are set with Colombian emeralds, Golconda diamonds, Burmese rubies and spinels, and pearls from Basra and India. About the Author : - Usha R Bala Krishnan is a jewellery historian, lecturer and fine arts consultant based in Mumbai.Bharath Ramamrutham is internationally recognised as one of the foremost photographers in India of the built, human and natural environment.

This is the story of the incalculable wealth of the Asaf Jah dynasty. Wealth that has lain concealed in the darkness of a bank vault for over 50 years. It is the study and documentation of gemstones and jewels that few people have had the opportunity to see and handle. The collection of jewels of the nizams of Hyderabad is one of the finest in the world. In addition to turban ornaments, gem-set and enamelled necklaces, earrings, armbands, bracelets, belts and other items of jewellery, it includes twenty-two unset emeralds and the fabled 184.50 carat Jacob Diamond - a magnificent South African gem believed to have been used by the last Nizam as a paperweight After the integration of Hyderabad state into the Union of India in 1950. Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan instituted a jewellery trust to which he assigned the most important items from the Hyderabad treasury, with the stipulation that they could only be sold after his death. In the nearly three decades since 1972 (when the collection was first offered to the government of India), the unfolding drama of the Nizam's jewels entailed court cases, tantrums, intrigue, conflicting decisions and colossal expenses. credence to legends, apocryphal tales and fading memories of a fabulously wealthy dynasty that ruled the Deccan for seven generations.

A delectable mix of Arabic, Mughlai and traditional South Indian influences, today's Hyderabadi cuisine is the legacy of the Nizams of Hyderabad, whose khansamas were skilled in the use of spices to bring distinctive flavours to the table. Digging into the 400-year-old history of the royal kitchens of the Nizams, Geeta Devi brings to you a scrumptious array of Hyderabadi recipes to stimulate the palate. From Patthar ka Gosht and Paneer Golkonda to Haleem and Gajar-Methi ka Salan, from Kacche Gosht ki Biryani and Jhinge ka Achaar to Shahi Tukde and Anokhi Kheer-this book reveals the secrets behind a mouth-watering range of delicacies that will delight the modern gourmand. Illustrated with beautiful images, Geeta Devi's recipes are accessible and easy to follow, whether you want to serve up a quick vegetarian snack, a complex main course of mixed meats, an unusual variation on the biryani, a tangy pickle or a rich dessert fit for a feast. Accompanied by a glossary of commonly used ingredients in the Indian kitchen, this is a thoughtfully designed and compact book that you can easily carry into your kitchen while you try out the recipes!

The Last Nizam is the story of an extraordinary dynasty, the Nizams of Hyderabad, and how the heir to India's richest princely state gave up a kingdom and retired to the dusty paddocks of outback Australia. With vivid detail and anecdotes, John Zubrzycki charts the rise of the Nizams to fabulous wealth and prominence in the detritus of the Mughal empire, giving a rich and vibrant portrait of a realm soaked in blood and intrigue. Above all he describes the strange and sometimes tragic life of Mukarram Jah, His Exalted Highness, the last Nizam, the man who left behind the diamonds of Golconda and the palaces of Hyderabad to drive bulldozers in the Australian bush. Meticulously researched, The Last Nizam adds a crucial chapter to the history of India, capturing the conspiracies and machinations that kept the Nizams in the news while simultaneously deepening their legend.

With reference to India.

"Examines in exquisite detail, spectacular jewelled and enamel objects, drawn from a single private collection, and to explore the broader themes of tradition and modernity in Indian jewellery. Highlights include a rare jewelled finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan, Mughal jades and a stunningly carved dagger owned by Shah Tajan. Featuring 100 objects, this book examines the origins of these precious artefacts from the treasury of the Mughal emperors and the courts of Hindustan. The author also looks at the influence that India had on avantgarde European jewellery made by Cartier and other leading houses and concludes with contemporary pieces made by JAR (hailed as the Faberge of our times) and Viren Bhagat, which are inspired by a creative fusion of Mughal motifs and Art Deco 'Indian' designs."--Publisher's description.

The Tears of the Rajas is a sweeping history of the British in India, seen through the experiences of a single Scottish family. For a century the Lows of Clatto survived mutiny, siege, debt and disease, everywhere from the heat of Madras to the Afghan snows. They lived through the most appalling atrocities and retaliated with some of their own. Each of their lives, remarkable in itself, contributes to the story of the whole fragile and imperilled, often shockingly oppressive and devious but now and then heroic and poignant enterprise. On the surface, John and Augusta Low and their relations may seem imperturbable, but in their letters and diaries they often reveal their loneliness and desperation and their doubts about what they are doing in India. The Lows are the family of the author's grandmother, and a recurring theme of the book is his own discovery of them and of those parts of the history of the British in India which posterity has preferred to forget. The book brings to life not only the most dramatic incidents of their careers - the massacre at Vellore, the conquest of Java, the deposition of the boy-king of Oudh, the disasters in Afghanistan, the Reliefs of Lucknow and Chitral - but also their personal ordeals: the bankruptcies in Scotland and Calcutta, the plagues and fevers, the deaths of children and deaths in childbirth. And it brings to life too the unrepeatable strangeness of their lives: the camps and the palaces they lived in, the balls and the flirtations in the hill stations, and the hot slow rides through the dust. An epic saga of love, war, intrigue and treachery, The Tears of the Rajas is surely destined to become a classic of its kind.