14 September,2022: “Bring back Kohinoor diamond” is now a popular hashtag. What is this Kohinoor diamond everyone is talking about? Read the article to know the journey of diamond mentioned by some as the "cursed stone"!
The death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II has got the social media warriors demanding the return of the Kohinoor diamond to India, which was taken by or given to Queen Victoria after the British annexation of Punjab.
Twitteratis are at it again, some with renewed passion in hope of getting the famed Kohinoor back to India but mostly just to prove who has the funniest meme.
Why all this hullabaloo about the diamond and how did it land up in Britain?
It is believed that the diamond was first mentioned more than 5000 years ago in a Sanskrit script, where it was called the Syamantaka. Please note that this is only speculation that the diamond Syamantaka and the Kohinoor are the same as after this for almost 4,000 years the scripted mention of a similar diamond is not found anywhere.
The Kohinoor, which means ‘Mountain of Light’, is a 105.6 carat, colorless diamond that was most likely found in southern India in the early 14th century, discovered in India's Golconda mines.
It is believed to be in the possession of the Rajas of Malwa until 1304. Please note at that point of was still not named Kohinoor. In 1304, it belonged to the Emperor of Delhi, Allaudin Khilji.
Taken back to the city of Samarkand in 1339, the diamond stayed there for almost 300 years.
Mention of the diamond is found in Babur's writings, Baburnama in 1526, gifted to him by Sultan Ibrahim Lodi. From Babur to one of his descendants Aurangzeb to Aurangzeb's grandson Mahamad, the Kohinoor kept changing hands within the family.
There's an alternate story which other sources believe in:
An alternate belief is that the diamond was gifted to Humayun by the Gwalior Royal Family who presented it to the Persian Shah Tamasp. Tamasp gave it to the Deccan kingdom as a gift and the diamond made its way back to the Mughals during Shah Jahan's reign through a Persian diamond dealer.
Mahammad Shah's name is merely mentioned as a part of the glorious reign of the Mughal Dynasty. As after Aurangzeb the expansion and control of the Empire saw a decline.
Nadar Shah, a Persian General known for it's ruthless and aggressive invasions, conquered Mahamad's empire around 1739 and took possession of the famed diamond and it’s believed that the diamond was named Kohinoor by the Nadir Shah.
Nadir Shah did not live long and post his assassination, the diamond which was given the name Kohinoor, fell into the hands of his successor, Ahmad Shah Abdali a.k.a.Ahmad Shah Durrani) Picture: painting of Nadir Shah
After Abdali the Kohinoor was handed over by the Afghans to Sikh King Ranjit Singh of Punjab to embellish the crown of Punjab emperor Ranjit Singh’s crown in 1809.
The diamond eventually was taken by/ handed over to the British colonizers after annexing Ranjit Singh’s kingdom.
It was taken by the British in 1849. History suggests the Kohinoor was ‘handed over’ to the British in 1849 as part of a punitive contract signed with the Maharaja of Lahore after the Anglo-Sikh war. In 1847, Maharaja Duleep Singh was separated from his mother and sent to Britain. At 10 years of age, he was made to “give" the diamond to Britain. Since then, it has been part of the British Crown Jewels.
Picture: young Duleep Singh
Governer General Dalhousie carried the Kohinoor personally aboard HMS Madea, to England. Cut, placed in a crown by jewellers Garrard & Co., it was worn by Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary to the Delhi Coronation Durbar in 1911 and in 1937 it was refashioned as the central diamond on the crown of Queen Elizabeth.
Picture source: https://mobile.twitter.com/Futur_1203/status/1567966792076914689/photo/1
Even if the value of the Kohinoor diamond is not known, it is part of the Crown Jewels, and the whole value of the Crown Jewels is between $10 and $12 billion (INR 7,92,25,95,00,000 - INR 9,50,65,14,00,000) . The Kohinoor is definitely one of the more expensive diamonds in the collection.
Though India demanded its return several times, the British government refused. In 2013, then-Prime Minister David Cameron said “They’re not getting it back.” Three years later, the Indian Culture Ministry insisted that it would make “all possible efforts” to see the diamond back in India.
It is currently one of 2,800 diamonds, sapphires, and other precious stones in the British monarch's 1937-designed crown. With Prince Charles succeeding to the throne, the 105-carat diamond, will go to his wife Duchess of Cornwall Camilla, who has now become Queen consort.
Some Twitter users seemed to be making some serious pleas regarding the return of the Kohinoor diamond, while others were amusing. Soon after the death of the Queen was announced, Twitter users restarted the conversations surrounding the Kohinoor diamond and its return. Many shared memes and comical posts reiterating the return of the diamond. One user posted the image of a scene from the Bollywood movie "Dhoom 2" and wrote, "Hrithik Roshan on his journey back to recover our heera, moti; Kohinoor from the British Museum to India." Another user stated, "Now can we get our Kohinoor back? A reminder that Queen Elizabeth is not a remnant of colonial times. She was an active participant in colonialism."
Some fun tweets:
Speaking to NBC, Danielle Kinsey, a professor of history at Carleton University, said "At some point the monarchy will understand that keeping the diamond is more of a public relations liability for them than an asset”.