What are stories and facts about Nizam of Hyderabad ?

He had a £ 50million ostrich-egg sized diamond, which he used as a paperweight

One story goes that at one instance, he wanted a new blanket. So he ordered a servant to buy him a new one – with strict orders not to spend more than 25 rupees (32p at today’s rates).

The Nizam, terrified of a revolution or takeover of his state, made plans to transport his wealth out of the country. But later he grew bored with the idea.

It was under his rule that Hyderabad started taking steps towards becoming one of the biggest cities in India.

A British politician’s wife who visited him at his peak and described him as someone who was “mad as a coot”

When TIME magazine featured him and the erstwhile rulers of other former princely states like Kashmir, Jodhpur Bikaner, Indore, and Bhopal; he was the only one who was addressed as ‘His Exalted Highness’; while all the others were addressed as ‘His Excellency’.

Despite his riches, he liked being frugal. He disciplined himself to live on the equivalent of £1 a day and smoked the cheapest brand of cigarettes, relighting and smoking the discarded butts.

He once took a cigarette from an adviser, cut it in half and offered the man half back.

It is said that he loved his concubines so much that he didn’t want them to be seen by anyone else; and hence, they were under strict ‘purdah’; with all the best luxuries possible.

When the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and, after his abdication, the Duke of Windsor visited him in 1922 he wanted to make sure he felt at home.

So he arranged for his chamber pot lid to play the National Anthem when it opened.

An exquisite diamond necklace was gifted by him to Queen Elizabeth II; as a wedding present and the necklace is called the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace. It is one of the jewels in the Queen’s exquisite collection.

After the partition of India in 1947, the Nizam considered making Hyderabad join Pakistan.

The Nizam’s refusal to join the Indian in 1947 triggered the military action against him on September 18, 1948.

Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII continued to rule Hyderabad until the state was merged with the Union of India in 1948.

The Nizam signed the Instrument of Accession and the State was integrated into the Indian Union.

Though deposed, he was allowed to stay on in Hyderabad wherein he accepted the position of Rajpramukh when the state government was established in 1950.

He occupied this office till the formation of Andhra Pradesh in November 1956.

The Nizam lent his support to the British during the second World War and remained faithful to the King of England.

He had a fleet of 50 Rolls Royce cars, which included a Barker-Coach built Rolls Royce Silver Ghost acquired in 1912.

His collection of pearls alone could fill up an Olympic size swimming pool.

He is reported to have found the Jacob Diamond -which is the world’s fifth largest diamond- in the toe of one of his late father’s shoes.

The Nizam’s 173-piece jewellery collection had an estimated worth of £200 million but it was bought by the Indian government in 1995 for a low price of £33m.