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Journey of Kohinoor Diamond |
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Koh-i-noor gets into the hands of Nadir Shah
It was from Bahadur Shah I that the Mughal Empire witnessed a steady decline. The fate of Koh-i-noor diamond was not known until the time Nadir-Shah, the ruler of Persia invaded India and defeated Muhammad Shah, the then Mughal emperor. Nadir Shah paid heed to Mohammed Shah’s surrendering before him and spared his life. It was widely believed that Mohammed Shah used to conceal the diamond in his turban.Muhammad Shah announced public rejoicings and Nadir Shah was not the one who would lose this chance.
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Nadir offered Mohammed Shah his affection and declared his desire to be his brother. The trick worked and in an instant Mohammed Shah took his turban off and placed it on Nadir Shah’s head. He, however, did not survive long enough to feel how it is like to be the owner of this exclusive gem. Perhaps it is the curse of the diamond that did not allow Nadir Shah to relish his victory. Another conspiracy was hatched and he was brutally slaughtered by his nephew Ali Kuli Khan. He, by the right of a King, came under the list of the privileged rulers who got the chance to possess the Kohinoor diamond.
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Journey of Koh-i-Noor diamond reaches its climax
Shah Rukh Mirza, the grandson of Nadir Shah could not keep the Kohinoor diamond in his hands as he was soon overpowered by Ahmad Shah Abdali, a potent ruler of his time. It did not take him long to get hold of this prized possession. The fleeting years followed saw a series of ups and downs. Abdali’s son Jamna ascended the throne after his father’s death. He guarded the jewel with great sincerity till the time of his death in 1793. |
| Kohinoor continued to change its course and after being under the guard of Jamna's sons it went to the hands of Zaman Shah. He was clever enough to conceal the gem in a crevice of the walls of his prison cell. His brother Shuja Mirza later claimed himself as Shah Shuja. Zaman Shah was released from the prison cell and he presented the diamond to Shah Shuja. Like his predecessors, Shah Shuja suffered the same fate. He was held captive but his family managed to escape the sad plight and move to Punjab under the protection of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji, on the request of Shah Shuja’s wife Wafa Begum put a concerted effort to release Shah Shuja and bring him to Lahore.
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Kohinoor, once again changed hands in the name of gift. Although Ranjit Singh Ji had to struggle a lot to get the rare gem under his custody yet it was his persistence that finally compelled Shah.Shuja to present the Kohinoor to him on June 1, 1813. Ranjit Singh used to wear the diamond only on state occasions and that too for a short period of time. The diamond remained with him till his death in 1839.
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How Kohinoor went into the hands of the British?
With the influx of the British invaders in India the precious asset went in to the hands of the Queen Victoria. Maharaja Duleep Singh, the son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is recorded as the last owner of Koh-i-noor before it was taken away into a foreign land.
The British forces occupied Punjab after two successive Sikh Wars.
It was on March 29, 1849 that the British flag was hoisted in Lahore and Punjab was proclaimed as a part of the British Empire. As per the terms of the Treaty of Lahore, the Maharajah of Lahore was forced to surrender the Kohinoor diamond to the Queen of England. The Koh-i-noor was taken out of the Toshakhana (the jewel house) and was officially handed over to the Punjab government ruled by the British.
In order to keep the news of transporting this rare gem to England a secret even the officers of the Government Treasury were kept uninformed. It was low-key affair as the diamond sailed from Bombay in H.M.S. Medea. The jewel was placed in an iron box and kept in a dispatch box before depositing the same in the treasury. The ship had a perilous voyage owing to the severe air current that hit the vessel on its way to Plymouth. Although the passengers of the ship and the mail were unloaded in Plymouth, the Koh-i-noor was taken to Portsmouth where it was unloaded. The diamond was later taken to the East India House.
Lord Dalhousie, the British Governor-General of India acted as the catalyst helping the British camp in acquiring the Koh-i-Noor. In 1851 Lord Dalhousie made it sure that the Kohinoor diamond was presented to Queen Victoria by Duleep Singh (successor of Ranjit Singh)
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About the cutting and re-cutting of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond
The earliest record of Koh-i-noor diamond gives us a fair idea that this exclusive piece of jewel actually weighed 240 karats. Hortensio Borgio, an expert on precious stones and the art of cutting carries the blame for cutting the gem with least judgment and precision thus greatly reducing its weight. Borgio spent three and a half years for this job assigned to him by the Mughal Emperor Aurungzeb. Furious at such carelessness of the lapidary, the emperor confiscated all his assets and denied him any compensation for his long three and half years of labor.
The diamond was awaiting yet another cut on it as few centuries later in 1852 Prince Albert ordered the re-cutting of the diamond. The decision of re-cutting the diamond was taken after the viewers expressed disappointment at Kohinoor’s lack of radiance. The gem was re-cut from 186 carats to its present 108.93 carats, which saw it gaining its brilliance, thus serving the purpose. Prince Albert, after consulting with the experts in this field, decided to venture into this seemingly challenging task. He reportedly spent some £8,000 for the cutting operation that saw the gem’s weight getting reduced by a good 42%.
Kohinoor attained a new look and also a new resting place. The rough manner in which that diamond was cut had disappointed many who looked upon it. The question arose about the authenticity of the newly cut diamond when it was observed that the appearance of the diamond would turn merely that of a thick piece of glass when the bright atmosphere would make way for a dull one. The diamond was placed in a tiara along with thousands of other diamonds. This oval gem added to the majesty of Queen Elizabeth’s crown.
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Queen Victoria and the Kohinoor Diamond
Koh-i-noor found its new home during the British regime in India in the early 18th Century. However, Queen Victoria was not satisfied with the gem and re-cutting of the diamond seemed the only solution. The re-cutting took about 38 days and it came to an end in September 1852. The weight was reduced to 108-1/3 metric carats and the stone lost about 43 per cent of its original weight. Queen Victoria used to wear it as a pin. It is to be noted that Koh-i-noor was traditionally believed to be a harbinger of good luck for a woman who wears it.
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The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London
Koh-i-noor was undoubtedly the cynosure at the Great Exhibition hosted in Hyde Park, London in 1851. It was for the first time that this mystery gem was put on public display. The people of England brimmed with excitement to enjoy this rare privilege. Hailed as the “lion of the exhibition”, the diamond commanded the world of interest with people thronging in the venue. Hundreds and thousands of people awaited their turn impatiently.
However, the diamond didn’t seem to keep up to their expectation as majority of the visitors were not satisfied with its rather dull look. It could be the imperfect cutting of the Kohinoor or the fixed positioning of the stone, which failed to impress the attendees. The diamond, however, reflected some brilliant rays when it was viewed from a particular angle. The stone was later mounted in a brooch which was often worn by Queen Victoria. The diamond was taken to the Windsor Castle and not kept with the rest of the crown jewels at the Tower of London.
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