With the demise of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th, 2022, this historic Elizabethan era ended. Netizens from Africa and India are in uproar, asking for the Crown jewels to be returned; particularly the Kohinoor. So much so, that the phrase “crown jewels” is trending online. According to Time Magazine, this is a recent attempt to ask for the diamond to be returned to India. The first was in 1947, after the independence of India, the second at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and finally the third attempt in 2016. However, the British government turned down the requests stating that “there were no legal grounds for restitution.” The Kohinoor is only one of the 2800+ diamonds in the crown jewels. However, for India, it is everything.
In ancient times when the rest of the world did not even know what a diamond was, Indians set both uncut and cut diamonds in jewellery. We measured diamonds by carats (as derived from Carob seeds). The Golconda mines provided a rich supply of diamonds. Experts who studied the hardness of diamond compared it to “Vajra,” the thunderbolt weapon of Lord Indra. Diamonds are a part of navaratna and have a significant cultural and religious significance.
Kohinoor
Named as Kohi-I-Noor by King Nadir Shah, the Kohinoor diamond is one of the most famous diamonds in the world. The term in Persian means the mountain of light. Several texts – historical, archaeological, political, religious, and fictional- mention it. So many mentions make you wonder if all these texts and narratives refer to the same physical object, the Kohinoor diamond, or is it the classical case of myth building around an object or even an idea? Could the fabled Taj Mahal diamond also be a part of the original Kohinoor? I do not know.
Historical narratives
In the 14th century, a large diamond of 793 carats was presented to the Kakatiya king Raja Prataparudra. He and his wife set it into a jewel for their family Goddess Badrakali. Another legend claims that the stone was set into the left eye of Goddess Badrakali. The armies of Allauddin Khilji later looted this temple, and thus, the diamond became a part of the Sultanate. In the 16th century, it passed on to the Mughal king Babur as a tribute for his conquest of Delhi and Agra in the battle of Panipat. During the Mughal rule, it was cut into a 186 carat diamond, and it is rumoured that most emperors refused to wear it on their person and kept it locked up. While there are accounts of Shah Jahan setting the diamond on his peacock throne, there are rumours that the smaller parts of the original diamond were set in Taj Mahal and later looted by the British.
According to KSS Sheshan, The diamond went to Nadir Shah in Tehran when he won the war against the Mughals. After his assassination, it comes to the Durrani empire in Afghanistan. Shuja Durrani took it to Pakistan. He handed it to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a Sikh ruler, for his help in becoming the Amir of Afghanistan. The diamond is said to have been willed to Lord Jaganath of Puri. However, after the conquest of Punjab and disbandment of the Sikh empire in 1849, Ranjit Singh’s son Duleep Singh was ordered to hand the diamond over to Queen Victoria. In 1937, it made its way to the crown jewels of the British along with other spoils of their centuries-long colonisation for King George VI’s coronation. Prince Albert displayed the jewel at the Great Exhibition of 1851. He got it recut to its present weight of 105.6 carats to be worn by Victoria as a brooch.
Mythical narratives
One of the several mythical origins stories of the Kohinoor is that it was once the Kaustubam worn by Lord Vishnu on his chest. In the iconography of Vishnu (or Narayana) this is symbolic of all the riches of the world and hence Goddess Mahalakshmi, his wife. There is also another myth that the Kohinoor was the Syamantaka Mani. Read more about it in the tale of the Syamanka mani on my jewelry in narratives website. Both myths are highly debatable as the stones could have rubies. In the case of Kaustubam, the stone is said to have been so brilliant that it shone like the sun and all the colours of the rainbow were visible. Since a cut diamond is one of the few gemstones that have that kind of fire, it could have been a diamond. With regard to the syamantaka mani, the stone brought about envy, hatred, and death wherever it went. Therefore the curse of the Kohinoor diamond could have its roots in this myth.
Fictional Narratives
In Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Fallen Soufflé By David MacGregor, Miss Chartier mentions the curse of the Kohinoor diamond. “He who owns this diamond will own the world but will also know all of its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity,” she says before wearing it on her neck.
Kohinoor and the crown jewels
The Kohinoor was worn by Queen Alexandra (the wife of Edward VII, Victoria’s oldest son) and by Queen Mary (the wife of George V, grandson of Victoria). The diamond came to its current place of honor in 1937, at the front of the crown worn by the queen mother, Queen Elizabeth. With Prince Charles III becoming king today, the diamond crown may go to Camilla.
Symbolism
Kohinoor stands for extraordinary brilliance and beauty. It is resplendent like the sun and calming like the moon. It is a symbol of power and prosperity. In times of war, it symbolises supremacy and victory. Therefore, the mention of the word Kohinoor turns everyone crazy. Every man who sees it believes that it will make him supreme and wants it, no matter the cost. As the myth/curse goes, the Potency of the diamond is too great for men. Maybe, it doesn’t mean that it can be worn by a woman but rather that it should not be under human control. Some things are not meant for human beings to possess or to own, for such things are better left to God and time. The Kohinoor is one such object.
I hope you find it interesting
Cheers
Further reading
- Narasimha Murthy, AV. 2018. “The Story of Kohinoor.” Star of Mysore. June 17, 2018. https://starofmysore.com/the-story-of-kohinoor/.
- “Queen Elizabeth II Passes Away: Calls Grow for Return of Crown Jewels to India, Africa.” 2022. Firstpost. September 9, 2022. https://www.firstpost.com/world/queen-elizabeth-ii-passes-away-calls-grow-for-return-of-crown-jewels-to-india-africa-11216161.html.
- “India and the Legacy of the Kohinoor Diamond: Five Things to Know.” 2021. The News Minute. May 27, 2021. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/india-and-legacy-kohinoor-diamond-five-things-know-31211.
- “The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond-and Why the British Won’t Give It Back.” 2017. Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution. August 30, 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-koh-i-noor-diamondand-why-british-wont-give-it-back-180964660/.
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