A famous Indian diamond with a history dating back to the 14th-c. It was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850, and is now among the British crown jewels.
Like all significant jewels, the Kohinoor has its share of legends.
Origins and early history
It is likely that the Kohinoor originated in Golconda, in Hyderabad state of Andhra Pradesh, one of the worlds earliest established diamond producing regions. It is certain that the stone was mined in India, as until the 19th century India was the only place in the world where diamonds were known.
The stone is surrounded with myth and legend, and its early history is hard to verify. According to one legend, the diamond was mined at the Rayalaseema diamond mines during the rule of the Kakatiya dynasty and was first possessed by them. From then onwards, the stone passed through the hands of successive rulers of the Delhi sultanate, finally passing to Babur, the first mughal emperor, in 1526.
The first historically confirmable note mentioning the Kohinoor by an identifiable name dates from 1526. Babur mentions in his memoirs, the Baburnama, that the stone had belonged to an un-named Rajah of Malwa in 1294. Babur held the stone's value to be such as to feed the whole world for two days. He did not at that time call the stone by its present name, but despite some debate about the identity of 'Babur's Diamond' it seems most likely that it was the stone which later became known as Kohinoor.
Stone of the emperors
The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan — famous for building the Taj Mahal — had the stone placed into his ornate Peacock Throne. When Shah Jahan's son, Aurangazeb, put his ailing father under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort, legend has it that he had the Kohinoor stationed against a window so that Shah Jahan could look at the stone and see the Taj reflected in it. 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 gained its present name.
The valuation of the Kohinoor is given in the legend that one of Nadir Shah's consorts supposedly said, 'If a strong man should take five stones, and throw one north, one south, one east, and one west, and the last straight up into the air, and the space between filled with gold and gems, that would equal the value of the Koh-i-noor'
After the assassination of Nadir Shah in 1747 it came into the hands of Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan.
The diamond passes out of India
Ranjit Singh crowned himself as the ruler of Punjab and willed the Koh-i-noor to Jagannath Temple in Orissa while on his deathbed in 1839. Although some suggested that the diamond should have been presented as a gift to the Queen, it is clear that Dalhousie felt strongly that the stone was a spoil of war, and treated it accordingly. Writing to his friend Sir George Cooper in August of 1849, he stated this:
Dalhousie arranged that the diamond should be presented by Ranjit Singh's successor, Duleep Singh, to Queen Victoria in 1851. The presentation of the Koh-i-Noor to Queen Victoria was the latest in the long history of transfers of the stone as a spoil of war.
The Great Exhibition
The British public were given a chance to see the Koh-i-Noor when the Great Exhibition was staged in Hyde Park, London in 1851. The correspondent of The Times reported:
The Crown Jewels
This disappointment in the appearance of the stone was shared by many. Albert consulted widely, took enormous pains, and spent some £8,000 on the operation, which reduced the weight of the stone by a huge 42% - but nevertheless Albert was still dissatisfied with the result. The stone was mounted in a tiara with more than two thousand other diamonds.
Later the stone was to be used as the centre piece of the crowns of the Queens consort of the United Kingdom. Queen Alexandra was the first to use the stone, followed by Queen Mary. 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.
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.
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