It is said in Vishnu Purana, an ancient Indian text, of a cursed gemstone, Syamanataka. The King of Dwaraka, Satrajit, a worshipper of Sun God Surya, was given an audience as he was strolling on the beach one day. The gem that Surya was wearing was so radiant that King Satrajit could see his God. Surya removed his shiny pendant so that his devotee could visualise Him. Surya later gifted the gem, Syamantaka, to the King as a token of affection.
The gem turned out to be an albatross around its wearer's neck. Legend had it that it was good only to one with a pure heart.
Satrajit's brother, who was gifted with it, was mauled by a lion. The lion was killed by Jambavan, the Bear King. Jambavan gave the Syamantaka to his son as a play toy.
Krishna, Satrajit's son-in-law, was accused of killing off Satrajit's brother to own Syamantaka. So Krishna had to lead a hunting party to track down the jewel. The party found it in possession of Jambavan, who refused to return the gem. A fierce, protracted battle ensued. With the help of His invincible weapon, Sudarshan Chakra, Krishna defeated Jambavan and cleared His name.
As it was seen, Syamantaka was cursed with causing much envy and bloodshed. Centred around this story, Indians have many fables about the power of precious stones. Many local tales tell about the mystical powers of gems, their entailed superstitions and stories of guardian nagas. In fact, gemmology is an ancient science in India. The fascination of Indians with gold and precious stones cannot be overstated. They have given ornaments unique places in society, worship and personal grooming. Scripts after scripts have been written about decorations and the glow they contribute to youthful appearance and feminine beauty.
Around the same vein, a book surrounds India's most famous diamond, Kohinoor. In reality, it is not the most exotic or biggest diamond by any imagination. It, nevertheless, has captured the hearts of conquerors, marauders, mavericks and rulers over generations.
For centuries, many sojourners and invaders to India had been captivated by the sea of wealth and gems that they saw in India.
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| Kohinoor: The modern version |
It is thought that Kohinoor may have been first noted during the Vijayanagar reign. Babur, a Turko-Mogul poet prince with a shallow opinion of India, had captured parts of India and acquired an extraordinary diamond in his conquest. Was it the Kohinoor? This stone was initially obtained by Alauddin Khilji in the 15th century when he invaded the Southern part of India.
Many gifts were exchanged between Humayun and the Persians, mostly of precious stones. At one juncture, Humayun (Akbar's father) lost his kingdom but got it back with the help of mercenaries and the parting of some Indian stones.
By the time Shah Jhan ruled India, the Mughal Empire had probably reached its zenith, dripping with silk and jewels, second only to the Ottoman Empire. Diamond merchants were making a kill. Around this time, Victorian commentators identified a diamond as the most excellent Kohinoor (Mountain of Light), compared to Babur's exotic diamond that the absent-minded Humayun lost.
Shah Jahan commissioned the most spectacular bejewelled object, the Peacock Throne, a massive golden throne covered with diamonds, rubies, pearls and emeralds. The idea was to make Shah Jahan comparable to the biblical King Solomon. There is a query about whether the fabled Kohinoor graced the Peacock Throne or was the different 'Great Mughal Diamond'. There needs to be more clarity. Others say that the 'Great Mughal Diamond' is the Orlov, which made its way to Russia and Catherine the Great. It is now on display in a Russian museum.
Subsequent Mughal successors proved to be weak. The Empire fell.
The Peacock Throne then became the possession of Nader Shah, a Persian mercenary who rose to power. A rock, which would eventually be labelled Kohinoor, lay on one of the peacock heads. The rule also collapsed, and the Afghni Darranis became the proud owner of the gem. Maharajah Ranjit Singh, of the Sikh Empire, capital in Lahore, wrestled it from him and wore the Kohinoor on his white turban. Ranjit Singh was to be dressed austerely in all-white. Kohinoor was much in contestation. Later in his life, Ranjit was debilitated by a series of strokes that rendered him unable to vocalise. At one juncture, it was assumed that Ranjit wanted the Kohinoor to be placed at the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri. The Sikh Treasury, however, wanted to be willed to his successor.
This is when the story gets interesting. It shows the conniving nature of the colonial forces who have only one thing on their mind, acquiring wealth at any expense without giving a damn to the human beings they lie, con and plunder.
After Ranjit's death, the confusion of succession and the internal squabble between Ranjit's wives and half-siblings, Rani Jindan Kaur, the 17th wife, took the rein as the regent on behalf of her five-year-old son, Duleep Singh. Again, internal squabbles over the running of states were the best opportunity for the British to separate mother and son. After the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the British eventually took over Punjab and ousted Duleep Singh. A 10-year-old Duleep just signed off everything to the British.
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| Property of the Crown |
Duleep Singh was adopted by a British agent who managed to brainwash him into loving everything English and later converting to Christianity. He was sent to study in the United Kingdom with Queen Victoria as his stepmother.
To mark the grandeur of the East Indian Company, the Marquis of Dalhousie thought presenting the Kohinoor to Queen Victoria. What could be more satisfying than having Duleep Singh give it to her? Meanwhile, bringing the coveted Kohinor proved to be quite challenging. It was quietly sneaked out aboard HMS Medea with so much drama behind the scenes. It seems the curse of Kohinoor was already rearing its ugly head. There was a cholera outward onboard, and they were refused a stopover at Mauritius. Soon afterwards, the vessel sailed directly into a 12-hour gale, almost breaking into two.
The British public was riled to believe that an exotic diamond was coming to their shores. Unfortunately, they were not impressed when viewed in Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, London. The Indian idea of cutting diamonds differed significantly from the European cut. The Indian diamonds are less shiny. Tinkering with lights and lamps failed to impress the crowd. Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert, decided to summon the royal jeweller, Messrs Garrard. The jewellers promised to cut the diamond without losing a single carat but to give an admirable lustre. All that turned out to be hogwash as the size of Kohinoor was slashed to almost half its size and unrecognisable.
Queen Victoria, the de facto proprietor of the Kohinoor, lost Prince Albert six years after gaining possession. Albert died at 42 of typhoid. Kohinoor was dawned on a black widow's gown.
Meanwhile, at 21, Duleep Singh became a rebel. He developed Sikh consciousness and wanted to re-establish his lost Sikh kingdom. His letters to his estranged mother were intercepted by the British. After much wrangling, a meeting was arranged between mother and son in Calcutta. She followed him back to the UK.
After learning of Duleep Singh's fate and perhaps of Queen Victoria's unhappy life after acquiring the Kohinoor, it was implanted in the public psyche that the gem was cursed. So, with the passing of Queen Victoria, the diamond was handed not to her successor, King Edward VII, but to her daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra.
It had subsequent cuts and was used by Queen Elizabeth I and is now to be used by Queen Consort Carmella.
Since 1947, every time Kohinoor makes its presence in the public sphere, be it QE II Coronation or King Charles III's latest, screams of claims for lawful ownership of Kohinoor are heard. Right now, the contenders range from Puri's Jagannath temple, which Ranjit Singh had allegedly gifted to, to Punjab, where Ranjit's treasury was and never left to Pakistan, where Lahore, Ranjit's capital, used to be to Afghanistan from whose King, Ranjit had taken from, to India to all these countries these regions are from.
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