How Kohinoor Diamond Became The Single Most Famous Object Of Loot From India

Kohinoor diamond is the most valuable, famous, and oldest diamond in the whole world. Kohinoor is a Persian word and means 'mountain of light'. It is believed to be more than 5000 years old.

It is believed that the Kohinoor diamond came from the Kollu Mine in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. Dynasty by dynasty many rulers considered Kohinoor as their symbol of pride. It came into the possession of the Delhi Sultanate when they looted Southers Kingdoms in 1526.

Babur, Founder Of The Mughal Empire

Babur acquired the Kohinoor diamond and has also mentioned it in his Babur Nama. Babur described the diamond as "worth half of the daily expenses of the whole world". The diamond later passed from Shan Jahan to Aurangzeb. 

Fun Fact- Shan Jahan placed the Kohinoor diamond near his window where he could see the entire Taj Mahal.

Aurangzeb ordered Hortenso Borgia, a gem artist from Venice to cut and enhance the Kohinoor diamond, but he overworked and reduced its weight from 793 to 186 carats. So enraged was Aurangzeb at the negligence and stupidity of the lapidary, that not only did he decline to compensate him for his labor, but he also seized all of Borgia’s worldly possessions.

The diamond later came into the hands of Nadar Shah in 1747, but after his dynasty ended, Ahmed Shah Durrani who, later became the Emir of Afghanistan acquired it. In 1808 Shiya Shah Durrani was found wearing the Kohinoor diamond in a bracelet on a visit to Peshwar.

Queen Victoria Wearing Kohinoor Diamond

In the early 19th century, Kohinoor reached Punjab in the hand of Sikh empire Maharaja Ranjit Singh as he asked for the gem for the hospitality he provided to Durrani. After Punjab was annexed by Britishers, the diamond was then sent from Mumbai (then Bombay) to Portsmouth, England, on the HMS Medea. The diamond arrived safely enough and was presented to the queen in a special ceremony in London in July 1850.

The Queen was said to have been a little dissatisfied with the lack of sparkle of its ‘rose’ cut when the fashion in Europe at the time was for multi-faceted gems. The reworking which took some 450 hours to complete, gave the stone more facets as an oval cut shape and dramatically reduced the weight from 186 to 105.6 carats. In a painting by Franz Xaver Winter Halter, the queen is wearing a Kohinoor diamond as a broach.

Writer - Sahil Madaan

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