Golconda Diamonds: Koh-i-noor Diamond

Koh-i-noor diamond

Koh-i-noor diamond - 'Mountain of Light' is one of the most famous Golconda diamonds in the world. First mentioned in 1306 when it was taken from a Rajah of Malwa, whose family had held the diamond for centuries. It was described as weighing 186 carats and was an oval cut white diamond - the shape and size of a small hen's egg. The Koh-i-noor diamond belonged to various Indian and Persian rulers but it became part of the 'Crown Jewels of England' at the time that Queen Victoria was proclaimed empress of India. The Koh-i-noor was re-cut at this time and now weighs 108.93 carats and is kept in the Tower of London.

This the known image of 186 carats Koh-i-noor diamond before it was cut and placed into the Royal crown of Britain.

It originated from India in Golconda at the Kollur mine and was specifically mined from the 'Rayalaseema' - Land of Stones - diamond mine, during the rule of the Kakatiya dynasty. The Koh-i-noor was then passed from one ruling dynasty to the next. The original name of the diamond was ‘Samantik Mani’ - (Prince and leader among diamonds). In 1739 Nadir Shah, the King of Persia, invaded India and was said to refer to the diamond as the "Mountain of Light". The magnificence of the diamond and its value symbolized the power of an Empire.

Nadir Shah

The Curse of Koh-i-noor Diamond dates back to a Hindu text from the time of the first authenticated appearance of the diamond in 1306. The Curse of the Koh-i-noor Diamond reads:

 "He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity."

The history and lives of the rulers who owned the Koh-i-noor diamond were filled with violence, murders, mutilations, torture and treachery. The British Royal family were obviously aware of the Curse of the Koh-i-noor and from the reign of Queen Victoria, when the Koh-i-noor diamond came into their possession, it has always gone to the wife of the male heir to the British throne.

Marriage of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert, Feb. 10, 1840| image: Royal Collection Trust

Myths and legends surround the Koh-i-noor stone. It was of incredible value and described by one of its owners, the Emperor Babur, the Great Mogul, as "Worth the value of one day's food for all the people in the world". The men who fought for it, and the Kingdoms and great Empires that were won and lost, produced many stories of ill-luck that plagued the owners and became part of the history of the Koh-i-noor diamond.

There were many dynasties who owned the Koh-i-noor diamond including the Slave dynasty (1206-90), the Khilji dynasty (1290-1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1413), the Sayyid dynasty (1414-51), and the Lodi dynasty (1451-1526). These were all brief reigns ending with war and violence.

In 1306 the Rajah of Malwa was forced to give the diamond to the rulers of the Kakatiya Empire. Soon after, in 1323, the Kakatiya Empire fell after a rule stretching from 1083 to 1323. The diamond was taken by Muhammad bin Tughluq  who became the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351.

The diamond came into the possession of the Delhi Sultanate which consisted of many Muslim dynasties that ruled in India to 1526. During the Delhi Sultanate Muslim armies consisting of Mongol, Turkic, Persian, and Afghan warriors invaded India.

Timurid Prince Babur, 1483 - 1530; and Emperor Shah Jahan 1592 - 1666

In 1526 the Koh-i-noor diamond passed to the Mughal Empire when the Timurid Prince Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans, at the First Battle of Panipat. Mughal is the Persian word for Mongol. Babur mentions in his memoirs, the Baburnama, that the diamond had belonged to an un-named Rajah of Malwa. - The Mughal Empire ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for two hundred years and the Koh-i-noor passed from one Mughal Emperor to the next. Violence and bloodshed followed these years often marked by the sons of the Emperors rebelling and overtaking their fathers. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666), who was famous for building the Taj Mahal, had the Koh-i-noor diamond placed into his ornate Peacock Throne.

TajMjal

The Koh-i-noor diamond changed ownership several times until the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan took the throne. In 1639  a struggle for the Empire started between his four sons - Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh when brother killed brother. Shah Shuja executed his brother Dara Shikoh and in then 1658 Aurangzeb defeated Shuja, and Shuja who was tortured to death together with all his family.

In 1665 Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 – 1689), French traveller and pioneer of jewelry and diamond trade with India, recorded his experiences in which he describes a great Mughal diamond said to be the biggest in the world. It was called the "Great Mogul" by Tavernier.

In 1739 the Persian King Nadir Shah invaded the Mughal Empire defeating their Emperor and stole the great Koh-i-noor diamond. This was the period when Koh-i-noor diamond was taken to Persia.

In 1747 the empire of Nadir Shah quickly disintegrated after he was assassinated - the 'Curse of the Koh-i-noor': after Nadir Shah's assassination, the diamond passed to his successors, each were dethroned and ritually blinded. Obviously, this story of Koh-i-noor diamond was modernized and adapted by the film 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'.

In early 18th century Ranjit Singh took the Empire and possession of the Koh-i-noor diamond. Rajah Ranjit Singh died in 1839 and his successors lacked his bravery and vision.

The Sikh kingdom became weak and the British conquered India which became part of the British Empire  gained control of India from 1858 - 1947. The British Governor-General of India, Lord Dalhousie, was responsible for the British acquiring the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

1851 - Dalhousie arranged that the Koh-i-noor diamond should be presented by Ranjit Singh's successor, Duleep Singh, to Queen Victoria, the Empress of India.

Lord Dalhousie

In 1852 Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria: ordered that the Koh-i-noor diamond to be re-cut from 186 carats to its current 105 carats thus increasing its brilliance. The Koh-i-noor diamond was mounted in a tiara with more than two thousand other diamonds.

The Koh-i-noor diamond was then used as the center piece of the crowns of the Queen consorts to the British Kings. The Queen Consorts Queen Alexandra: Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India as the wife of King-Emperor Edward VII.

And Queen Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 1867 – 24 March 1953) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India as the wife of King George V. Whom Queen of Alexandra and Queen Mary of Teck wore the Koh-i-noor diamond.

Queen Alexandra, 1844 - 1902; and Queen Mary 1867 - 1953

In 1936, the stone was set into the crown of the wife of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother): Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926) has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952 - wife of King George VI. 

Queen Elizabeth, 1926 - present; and King George VI, 1895 - 1952

The British Royal family were obviously aware of the Curse of the Koh-i-noor diamond with this phrase: "He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity." And from the reign of Queen Victoria the Koh-i-noor diamond has always gone to the wife of the male heir to the British throne.

British Royal crown with the Koh-i-noor diamond

Note: Most of the photos here are taken from Pinterest, this post is not intended for copyright infringement nor plagiarism.

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