The deadly Nivar cyclone collapsed at the southern Indian beaches, and it caused considerable damage in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu in November. It soon weakened into a cyclonic storm over north coastal Tamil Nadu, according to the India Meteorological Department. Around 4 people lost their lives and some got injured due to the cyclonic storm in Tamil Nadu. Hundreds of trees were uprooted and water-logging was similarly reported from several locations of the affected regions. But surprisingly, a lot of fishermen, women and children in the Kothapalli Mandal, East Godavari district of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh spent the weekend searching through the local beach for gold..!
Hunting the hidden treasures in fields and forests during the onset of monsoon is a common practice in India's southern states. In the aftermath of cyclone Nivar, the local fishermen found tiny gold beads all over the beach. Despite the dangerous heavy winds and rainfall, hundreds of locals gathered to the beach with umbrellas to filter through the sand. Andhra Pradesh Director General of police Gautam Sawang explained that the Deccan plateau in south India which includes states like Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka is one is the world's oldest terrains. Historically, most of India's treasures have been found in these regions. Their activity started at 6 AM and went on till evening. Fishermen and locals believed that these gold beads were the remnants of lost temples that were submerged under the ocean, which washed up on the beach following the cyclone. Some people also believed that it is remnants of a ceremony during the full moon, in which people leave behind nine grains of rice and nine gems including small gold beads.
The locals who collected the gold beads did not speak much to any media authorities, and thus there is no confirmation about the gold beads being real gold. While this gold rush is a rare instance of valuables washing up on the seashore, treasure hunting is a very common practice across Andhra Pradesh. This year in October, a trove of gold and silver coins was unearthed near a temple in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district. The migrant workers and farmers also search for treasures in Kurnool district in the agricultural fields each monsoon. In 2019, a farmer found a diamond worth $8 million in his field after heavy rains washed off in the Andhra Pradesh.
No one thought that the storm will bring gold on the beach, but such sudden discoveries of gold over a while has led to the formation of criminal gangs that have been caught robbing ancient temples in search of the hidden treasures. However, India's Pre-Colonial Treasure Trove Act explains that whenever any treasure exceeding in the number of Rs 10 is found, the finder shall give it to the Collector, with a notice in writing. Locals who collected the gold beads at the Andhra Pradesh beach believe that each cyclone brings gold and other valuable things. However, no one exactly knows that if it was real gold or not, but these gold beads are the only good thing that cyclone Nivar bought to these locals.
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Reference:
- www.news18.com
- www.mausam.imd.gov.in
- www.timesofindia.com
- www.indiatoday.in