It is perhaps the most famous and recognized diamond in the world of gems. Of course, it is not the largest in the world, but its history is impressive. I speak to Koh-i-Noor, “Mountain of Light”;. It was discovered, in the thirteenth century, in the fabled gold of Golconda and became the cherished property of the Kakatiya dynasty, the rulers of Golconda. Then he kicked Kakatiya’s donkey to the Delhi Sultanate and took home some of his possessions, including a diamond. This happened in the year of the Lord 2320.
A dynasty falls and a new one succeeds. The Delhi Sultanate, which was ruled by the Tughlac dynasty, also fell and was succeeded by the Timurids, descendants of Tamerlane, who created the Mughal Empire. With these new owners, the first thing people talk about is not the cursed thingbut if it has a negative effect, a halo of misfortune is cast around it, and anyone uses it.
Those affected by the “curse”;
Whether it happens or not, it’s a matter of printing a list; Babur He never used it when he was assigned to the royal treasury; your son Humayunwhich if he uses, he himself destroys the stairs. Akbar he did not reach it and went down in history with the name “Great”; Shah Jahan — the builder of the wonderful Taj Mahal used the jewels of the city and was disfigured by his own son, dying in prison. In 1739, Persian merchants.Nadir ShahThey plundered the capitals of Delhi and Agra, with all that they could. He named the stone when it was shown to him and exclaimed: Koh I Noor. But Nadir was slain, and the stone penetrated to the royal race of Afghanistan, who needed no aid or incentive to exercise power.
Koh-i-Noor diamond effigy at the Prince of West India Museum, Bombay
In 1813 the King of Afghanistan, Shah Shuja DurraniHe was expelled from the country. The refugee sought asylum in a powerful court Ranjit Singh (“The Lion of the Punjab”), the founder of the Sikh empire, Ranjit, who was imp -, relieved Shuja of all the possessions he carried, kicked him in the back and laid him on the borders of the British East India Company; which led to two Afghan wars, and the second which ended the Sikh Empire and the Diamond Society gaining the right of victory. In possession of the fabled stone, the rulers decided it would be best for the last Sikh Monarch – Duleep Singh, Ranjit Singh’s son and heir – to personally present the diamond to Queen Victoria. Duleep, the poor doll, who could not deny that she was thirteen years old, humbly offered her to Victoria from Britain.
For it was time to put on a brooch or a bracelet with diamonds. In 1852, Prince Albert obtained the power to cut off the crown and re-polish the stone. This process reduced the weight from 190 carats (38.2 P.) to 105.6 carats (21.12 P.), but the result was spectacular.
After the death of Queen Victoria, the Koh-i-Noor was used in a tiara worn by Queen Alexandra – the wife of Edward VII – for the coronation ceremony in 1902. In 1911 it was transferred to the crown of Queen Mary and in 1937 as the Queen Mother. It now remains to be seen if the stone will be present at the next coronation ceremony of Charles III of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Fun fact: no one in the British Royal Family – ever – used the Koh-i-Noor. Only the women carried it. Of course, no one believes in a curse or misfortune that accompanies diamonds. But…
