Hyderabad, Aug. 24 -- If you are a Hyderabadi resident, chances are you have grown up hearing grand, larger-than-life legends about the Nizams. From hidden treasures beneath old palaces to tales of eccentric royal habits, Deccani folklore is steeped in Asaf Jahi mythology.

Among these local urban legends, one particular story stands out above the rest: the infamous tale of the Seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, being snubbed at a Rolls-Royce showroom in London. As the story goes, a modestly dressed Nizam was insulted by a salesman who assumed he couldn't afford a luxury vehicle. In retaliation, an outraged Nizam supposedly bought an entire fleet of cars on the spot, shipped them back to Hyderabad and ordered the city's municipal departme...