For many centuries, India was the only source of diamonds to the world - all the way until 1725 - with the discovery of Diamond Mines in Brazil. The rulers of the Sub Continent embraced their role as the first diamond connoisseurs.
The diamond of our interest, The Kohinoor (Mountain of Light) is at present one of the largest cut diamonds in the world weighing 105.6 carats and is a part of the British Crown Jewels.
The diamond May have been mined in the Kollur Mines, on the banks of the River Krishna in Golconda (Andhra Pradesh). It is close to impossible to find when and where it was found, and many unverifiable theories exist regarding its original owner.
Truco-Mongol leader Zahir Ud Din Babur came from Central Asia through the Khyber Pass to invade Delhi in 1526, and thus established the Mughal Dynasty in India, and a new infatuation with precious gemstones. It is impossible to know when exactly The Kohinoor came into the possession of the Mughals, but the first written record of it appears when the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan encrusted the gem on a golden throne.
Shah Jahans Throne took 7 years to build, costing upto 4 times the price of the Taj Mahal, which was still under construction at that time.
Among the many jewels that adorned the Throne, there were 2 gems that were most precious of them all - Timur's Ruby and The Kohinoor. The diamond was lodged at the very top of the throne - in the head of a glistening gemstone peacock...
To be continued
Source : Smithsonian Magazine
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CURSED DIAMOND - THE KOHINOOR STORY
Historical FictionFrom the Mines of Golconda in the South of India to the British Royal Jewels, this is an attempt to unravel the journey of this stone, considered one of the most precious in the whole world. The pride of India, taken by force from it and kept in a...
