THE KOHINOOR: A Tale of Disputed Ownership.Was the Kohinoor Diamond Really Gifted To The British?
As Martin Luther King, Jr. said “We are not makers of History. We are made of History.”
This statement holds true for almost all of us, because there is so much which has happened in the past, and we are the offsprings of such ancestors who would have been a part of many historic events.
Going back to the chapters of Sikh history, there is an ocean of information which almost everyone is unaware of or possesses little or no knowledge about it. The story which grabbed my attention, and is bound to grab your too is the most famous and most expensive stone in the world- The Kohinoor, meaning “Mountain of Light”. Just like the diamond is unique, so is the story related to it.
Are we really aware as to whom actually this Giant stone belongs?
It dates as back as to the 13th century when this diamond was found from Kollur mine in the Guntur district of the present day Andhra Pradesh. From there on, this priceless diamond had many owners like Malik Kafur of the Khilji Dynasty, Babur, Humayun, Shah Jahan, later his son Aurangzeb. After the invasion of Delhi by Nader Shah, The Kohinoor came under his possession. Post his assassination, the precious stone then came into the hands of Ahmad Shah Durrani. One of his descendants Shah Shujah Durrani wore a bracelet containing the Kohinoor. Shujah managed to flee with the diamond to Lahore after he was overthrown by his own predecessor, Mahmud Shah. In Lahore, the founder of the Sikh Empire Maharaja Ranjit Singh insisted upon the gem being given to him in return for his hospitality. Therefore, he took possession of the stone in 1813.
After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and post conclusion of the second Anglo-Sikh war, Kingdom of Punjab was formally annexed to British India. Hence, the Kohinoor diamond was ceded to Queen Victoria, along with other assets of the Maharaja.
Since then, the KOHINOOR is glorifying the Queen’s Crown. The ownership of the diamond is, however, disputed, but the fact is that it wasn’t gifted to the British. Rather this diamond has a long competitive history, with India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, all claiming the Kohinoor diamond.
