A group of men and women seriously digging away at the loose mud, inspecting every rock they come across carefully. A few metres away, the scene cannot be more different. Laughter and chatter float in the air, as revellers drink in the beauty of their surroundings. With Andhra Pradesh witnessing heavy rainfall in the last few weeks, people have gathered in Krishna district to explore the gentle hills and valleys, covered in every shade of green imaginable.
But a strange rumour has gripped the imagination in the Gudimetla hills of Chandarlapadu – that diamonds are being found lying in the open. And so more people are flocking to the hills to find these precious stones.
The recent rains in the upper catchment of the Krishna River has even led to the opening of all the gates of the Prakasam barrage. Come weekend, and hundreds of tourists gather here to enjoy the beauty of nature here. But it hasn’t just drawn tourists – it has also drawn several budding treasure hunters.
A rather exhausted looking, but smiling man told the TV9 reporter, “It is believed that people have found diamonds here earlier, but I couldn't find one.”
According to reports, people have spent several days digging here in vain, even as rumours abound of people striking it rich earlier.
“So many people here are talking about diamonds being found just like that in the hills…We just came here to have fun and see if anyone found these elusive stones,” said a middle-aged man.
Weekends especially see an influx of people in the Nadigama and Chandarlapdu mandals. “It’s Sunday, so I just came here to see if diamonds can really be found here…Nothing can be found here though, everyone is searching here and in Ramannapet, but there doesn’t seem to anything here,” said a youngster.