In August 1976, a letter signed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto arrived in New Delhi.
This letter was addressed to Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India.
After talking about some bilateral cooperation between India and Pakistan, the letter from Rawalpindi quickly moved on to specific demands.
“I am writing to you regarding the treasures that are being unearthed in Jaipur at the behest of your government…I would like you to remain aware of Pakistan’s claim to its due share of this wealth…” Zulfikar・As written in Ali Bhutto’s letter: Indira Gandhi.
Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto Bhutto claimed Pakistan’s share in the treasure that was being searched at Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur on the orders of Indira Gandhi.
The talk of money and Mangalsutra in this Lok Sabha election brings us back to the treasure hunt of 1976 during the Indira Gandhi government.
Prime Minister Narendra Prime Minister Modi alleged that the Congress was planning the robbery. Mangalsutra, Priyanka Gandhi said her mother gifted Mangalsutra for the nation..
However, it is also true that Priyanka’s grandmother, Indira Gandhi, had ordered a massive treasure hunt at Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur in 1976 after Rajmata Gayatri Devi was detained.
Word of the treasure hunt reached Bhutto in Pakistan, who wanted to lay claim to the Islamic Republic’s claim to treasure he had no knowledge of.
The treasure hunt was very large and lasted for five months at Jaigarh Fort. The Army, Income Tax Department, Archaeological Survey of India and local police were all involved.
Just as Indira Gandhi set her sights on the gold of Jaigarh Fort, so too did Zulfikar Bhutto pursue its reserves.
Jaigarh’s treasure story begins in Afghanistan
But the treasure hunt that unfolded during the dark days of the 1976 Emergency actually had its origins at least several hundred years earlier, during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar.
In 1581, Akbar dispatched Jaipur’s commander-in-chief, Raja Man Singh I, to the northwestern frontier to quell the rebel kingdoms and chieftains and bring parts of modern-day Afghanistan under Mughal control. commanded him.
During this expedition, Raja Man Singh acquired an unimaginable treasure trove of gold in Afghanistan, which he brought back to India and hid in the 16th century Amber Fort.
“Raja Man Singh I, one of the greatest generals in India’s medieval history, is said to have amassed great wealth during the Kabul Campaign (1581-1587).” RS Kangarot and PS Natawat 1990 In his book Jaigarh, The Invincible Fort of Amber, he wrote:
They say that “wealth was not kept in any fort other than Jaigarh,” which later came into existence in 1726.
Despite Man Singh’s loyalty to Akbar, it is believed that he did not tell the Mughal emperor about the gold he had brought back from the Kabul expedition.
It is believed that this treasure was secretly hidden within the walls of Amber Fort until years later when it was recorded in the Arabian books.
The first mention of this treasure appeared in a book titled “Haft Tilismat-e-Amberi” (Seven Magical Treasures of Amber). In that book, it was stated that the riches of the treasury were located in a place called ‘sagar’ (water tank) at the back. Amber Fort.
A few years later, under British rule, colonial explorers also acquired this book and their curiosity aroused. They tried to find the treasure, but to no avail.
Indira’s treasure hunt began during the emergency
The three treasures that Raja Man Singh hid when the British army was chasing them were exactly the same as the treasures that Indira Gandhi was chasing. The hunt began at the peak of the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975.
Civil liberties were suspended, the press was heavily censored, and political opponents such as Jayaprakash Narayan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Morarji Desai were jailed.
Thousands of people who criticized her were languishing in prisons across India.
One of them was Gayatri Devi, seen as hated by her political rival Indira Gandhi. The former Maharani of the erstwhile princely state of Jaipur also defeated the Congress thrice during the Congress era to reach the court.
Just then, a treasure hunt began at Jaigarh Fort following the arrest of Gayatri Devi under the COFEPOSA Act in the foreign currency case. This law concerned the preservation of foreign currency and the prevention of smuggling activities.
Topics about Indira Gandhi’s search for gold
Indira Gandhi reportedly embarked on a five-month treasure hunt after taking advice from her son Sanjay Gandhi.
A joint team of Income Tax Department, Army and local police marched to Jaigarh Fort, never before seeing such interest and turnout. The news of the arrival of the troops reminded the collective consciousness of the local population of the “Seven Magical Treasures of Amber”.
The Archaeological Survey of India was also involved.
According to the book ‘Jaigarh, the Invincible Bastion of Amber’, during the 1976 riches extraction, the world’s attention was focused on the day-to-day happenings in Jaigarh.
“It will be interesting to see if the Guinness Book of Records takes note of this,” wrote RS Kangaroot and PS Natawat in their 1990 book on the Jaigarh Fort.
“Speculation of a treasure discovery intensified as military helicopters flew in and out of the fort, further spurred by a helicopter visit by Indira’s supposed successor Sanjay Gandhi. Jaigarh Fort was dug up and destroyed. ” says the senior. Crime journalist Shams Tahir Khan appears on Crime Tuck.
With the area around the fort sealed, news of the treasure hunt spread further and eventually reached Pakistan, prompting Bhutto to rely on an agreement between the two countries to write to Indira Gandhi and request the treasure.
Indira Gandhi responded to a letter from Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto only after hunting was stopped in November 1976.
“I have asked legal experts to carefully consider the claims you have made on behalf of Pakistan. They are of the clear opinion that the claims have no legal basis.” replied Indira five months later.
While she muddled Pakistan’s claims, she informed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: “By the way, it turns out that the ‘treasure’ does not exist.”
Gayatri Devi spent more than five months in Delhi’s Tihar Jail before being released after the state of emergency was lifted.
“Indira Gandhi officially announced that no treasure was found in Jaigarh Fort. Only 230 kg of silver was found,” says Shams Tahir Khan.
Raid on Jaigarh Fort is over, but mystery remains
However, even after the raid was completed and the findings were announced, some questions remained.
If Man Singh probably hid his Afghan treasure in Amber Fort during the last two decades of the 16th century, why was Jaigarh Fort, built in 1726, attacked?
Sanjay Gandhi’s high-profile visit had already given rise to various theories.
“The government remained silent on why the Delhi-Jaipur expressway was closed for a day while 50 to 60 trucks were traveling from Jaipur to Delhi,” the CrimeTac article said, adding another unanswered question. Points out questions that need to be resolved.
According to Shams Tahir Khan’s report, the answer to Man Singh’s choice of Jaigarh Fort rather than Amber Fort, where he hid his treasure, is the tunnel that connects Jaigarh Fort, which is located on the Aravalis mountains overlooking Amber Fort.
It is still a mystery as to where the treasure obtained during the Afghanistan expedition went. Some claim that this treasure was used by the Maharaja to build the city of Jaipur.
Doubts aside, Indira Gandhi’s gold hunt at Jaigarh Fort for former Maharani glory during the Emergency has sparked debate whether it was really a treasure hunt or a witch hunt.
Considering the hopeless and undesirable yields of this treasure hunt, authors RS Kangarot and PS Natawat, in the final chapter of the book titled ‘Jaigarh, the Invincible Bastion of Amber’, describe it as a ‘wild goose hunt’. ” he called.
