Scenes From Unwritten Novels 1.19

Can we get this briefing going?  Yes?  So, shut up, sit down and listen.

Thank you. Here we go.  No need for taking notes.  All info is summarized in the files in front of you. Soft copies will also be sent out after this “soiree” we got going here is done.

Boys, and lady. This is big money maniac time. The one we have been waiting for.  Our research team is very confident about the location and reality of this lead.  Score of a lifetime. Can I use more clichés? Yes, I can.

So, I got some hard ass Indian words that I’m about to read and pronounce. This is Indian (red dot, not feathers) so your patience is not only appreciated, but expected.

In a nutshell a few hundred years back, the Hindu King Sri Krishnadevaraya donated in his lifetime 423 diamonds, 30,000 gold coins and 2800 garnets to Lord Sri Venkateshwara in Tirupati. This has been missing or mishandled.  Where is this treasure? We think we know.  Buried in the northwestern Indian Ocean.

An Indian Government’s archaeology group that went into the matter of these gifts made by King Sri Krishnadevaraya to Lord Sri Venkateswara at Tirumala has determined that the present jewelry in the custody of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, this point forward referenced as TTD, did not, I repeat, DID NOT match with those reportedly made by the Vijayanagara Emperor as per the inscriptional evidence.  AKA Fakes.

As per the previously mentioned inscriptions, Sri Krishnadevaraya, a devotee of Lord Sri Venkateswara, visited the shrine seven times during his lifetime, he’s hardcore, he made a variety of donations to this Lord during each visit.

Here’s the juicy part.  Totals of goods targeted are as follows: The Emperor had offered one Ratna Kireetam, studded with precious stones such as garnets (2822), emeralds (160), diamonds (423), rubies (3), sapphires (10), cat eyes (1), agate (1) and pearls (1,339) during his first visit on October 02, 1513. In all, its total weight is recorded at 3,308 tunkhas (each tunkha is equal to 2.5 grams).

Second visit, February 05, 1513, he dropped ‘vidudhara’ (a gold ornament), three pairs of bhujakeerthis, three swords with sheaths, I got dibs on that, called, stampsies no call backs, two sheaths with tassels, a pendent, two pairs of addigalapeta with a gold chain and a kireetam (crown).

Third visit, June 13, 1513, he gave nine kinds of precious stones. Sri Krishnadevaraya performed a ‘Kanakabhishekam’ for the Lord with 30,000 gold coins (varahalu) during his fourth visit on June 7, 1514. One ‘thrisaram’ (three-stringed ornament), a pair of kadiyams were donated along with the gold coins during the visit.

A copper statue of Sri Krishnadevaraya along with his consorts Tirumala Devi and Chinnadevi in the form of paying obeisance to the Lord was given during his sixth visit on October 16, 1518. A ‘peetambaram’ studded with nine kinds of precious stones, was donated in his last visit on February 2, 1521. The description of each antique with the kind of metal and the stones used is detailed in the report on your desk.