| |
Koh-i-Noor
Diamond |
| |
|
| |
| "Koh-i-noor"
is Persian and means "Mountain of Light". The
Koh-i-Noor, Koh-i-Nur, or Kohinoor is a 108 carat diamond
that originated in the subcontinent of India and belonged
to various Indian and Persian rulers at different points
in its history. |
| |
| In 1851
the diamond was given, in controversial circumstances,
to Queen Victoria and is currently in a crown of the British
royal family that belonged to the late Queen Mother. |
| |
| Like
all significant jewels, the Koh-i-Noor diamond has
its share of legends. This particular stone is reputed
to bring misfortune or death to any male who wears
or owns it - a claim which its history has, so far,
not disproven. It is, by legend, worth the amount
of wealth generated around the whole world in seven
days. |
|
| |
Contents
1 Origins and early history
2 A controversial gift
3 The Crown Jewels
4 Campaign to return the Koh-i-noor to India |
| |
| Origins
and early history |
| |
| The stone is
surrounded with myth and legend, and accurate records
are hard to verify. Despite claims it is 5,000 years old,
the first reliable note mentioning it dates from 1526,
when the stone was described as belonging to the Rajah
of Malwa, India, in 1304. It was taken from him by force
by Sultan Ala-ed-din Khilji and then a succession of Mogul
emperors from 1526 to 1739. |
| |
| After construction
of the Taj Mahal, the stone was mounted on the walls of
the imperial chambers. When the Emperor Aurangazeb imprisoned
his ailing father, Shah Jahan in the Taj Mahal, the son
had the Koh-i-noor stationed against a window so that
Shah Jahan could look at the stone and see the breathtaking
North Indian countryside reflected in the stone. There
it stayed until the invasion of Nadir Shah in 1739 and
the sacking of Agra and Delhi. Along with the Peacock
Throne, he also carried off the Koh-i-noor to Persia in
1739. It was allegedly Nadir Shah who exclaimed Koh-i-Noor!
when he finally managed to obtain the famous stone, and
this is how the stone was named. Certainly there is no
reference to this name before 1739. |
| |
| After the assassination
of Nadir Shah in 1747 it came into the hands of Ahmad
Shah of Afghanistan. It was passed down to his descendants
until it was taken by the Sikh Maharaja (King) of Punjab
Ranjit Singh, during a campaign in Afghanistan in 1813. |
| |
| A controversial
gift |
| |
Ranjit
Singh later crowned himself as the ruler of Punjab and
willed the Koh-i-noor to a Hindu temple in Orissa while
on his deathbed in 1839. But there was dispute about
this last-minute testament, and after his death the
British administrators did not execute his will. The
diamond was given by Ranjit Singh's successor, Duleep
Singh, to Queen Victoria in 1851. Indian historians
argue that Ranjit's successor was only a minor, and
would not have given the diamond away without prompting
from his British advisers. |
|
The
Crown Jewels |
|
In
1852, under the personal supervision of Victoria's consort,
Prince Albert, the diamond was cut from 186 1/16 to
its current 108 1/16 carats, to increase its brilliance.
Albert consulted widely, took enormous pains, and spent
some £8,000 on the operation, but nevertheless
was dissatisfied with the result. The stone was mounted
in a tiara with more than two thousand other diamonds. |
|
In
1936 the stone was set into the crown of the new Queen
Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother) wife of
King George VI. In 2002 the crown rested atop her coffin
as she lay in state. |
|
Campaign
to return the Koh-i-noor to India |
| |
The government
of India has repeatedly lobbied the British Government
and the British monarchy for the return of this diamond,
claiming legitimate ownership. As of 2005, the gem remains
in the United Kingdom.
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
 |
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
