For three months, 173 pieces from the ruler’s trove — including the uncut Jacob diamond, the world’s seventh largest — had been on display at the National Museum. But despite the exhibition being mounted after five years, hardly 300 visitors turned up on an average every day.

In contrast, when the jewellery was displayed to the public for the first time in 2001, there were more than 1,500 visitors daily. At that time the exhibition was open for eight hours for general visitors and two for those with complimentary passes.

There was no change in the entry fees when the exhibition was held from September 27 to December 30. Even so, there was only a trickle of visitors: in all 3,383 foreigners and 16,165 Indians. Some 5,000 visitors used complimentary passes.

“We had advertised the exhibition well in advance and had done everything possible to ensure that it is a success,” said Dr Raghu Raj Singh Chauhan, Director, Exhibition.

The National Museum had publicised the exhibition saying the jewellery would be displayed in a new ambience. The preparations had started nearly six months in advance. Further, to give it a new look, the museum installed a fibre optic lighting system and CCTVs for added security.

Many museum officials are disheartened.

“As a norm we repeat such an exhibition only after a gap of 10 years. People had already seen the jewellery in 2001. You can’t expect a roaring crowd within five years again,” said a senior official. He said it was the Ministry of Culture & Tourism’s decision to put up the exhibition so soon again.

Poor turnout notwithstanding, experts describe the collection as one of its kind. The last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, had handed over the treasure in 1948 to two trusts, shortly after his state’s accession to the Indian Union.

The trusts decided to sell the jewellery in 1970 after the death of Azam Jah, the last Nizam’s eldest son. Litigation began in the Supreme Court in 1979 when news broke about the trustees’ attempt to auction a part of the collection. Auctioneers from all over the world were invited to New Delhi, but the auction was stopped on the government’s intervention.

The Government of India won the case in 1995 and bought the jewellery from the Nizam for Rs 218 crore. The jewellery was kept with the Reserve Bank of India because the government could not decide where to display it.