Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (1886-1967 AD) ruled the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad during the years 1911-1948 AD and was considered to be the richest person in the world. He was also estimated to be the sixth all time wealthiest man who ever lived on this planet. He was ruling over a state spread over 82698 square miles with a population of about 9.8 million on 1881 which increased to 18.6 million in 1951. Hyderabad state was mainly an agricultural state that could hardly feed itself barely avoiding famines most of the time. The mineral wealth was not great and the total value of minerals produced in 1952 was a mere 38.7 million rupees. In ancient times Deccan was known for diamonds especially in Kollur region which almost dried up by the time of rule of later Asaf Jahi kings. Animal wealth of the state was considerable but majority was of poor breed. Industrial output was minimal and it only would satisfy local demand. Hence it would be very revealing to know the sources of enormous wealth of the last Asaf Jahi ruler. It is also astonishing to know that the recipient of this wealth Mukarram Jah now lives in a two-bedroom apartment on sixth floor in an unknown location in Turkey. The disappearance of this fabulous wealth over a period of one generation must be of the biggest mystery of the twentieth century. This book is an effort to understand the sources of Mir Osman Ali Khan’s enormous wealth and the ways it must have vanished. The family of the authors is the residents of a village in the princely state for centuries and they understand the history of the Hyderabad state better. The story of Mir Osman Ali Khan and his wealth must be recorded for posterity.
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