Koh-I-Noor diamond is undoubtedly the most famous and oldest diamonds of the world. It has a long story where it got passed from one hand to the other and finally, as on today, it belongs to the British Royal family and is part of the Crown Jewels.
Very few people know the fact that when it was discovered, Koh-I-Noor (mountain of light) was mined with its double, Dayra-E-Noor (sea of light).
It is interesting to know that this diamond was 793 carats when uncut and was mined in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Its original name is said to be the Samantik Mani. It is believed that this diamond was very first talked of about 5000 years ago in a Sanskrit script. Many people believe that this ‘Samantik Mani’ and Koh-I-Noor diamond are the same stones. After this first written document about the diamond, it is not mentioned for the next 4000 years.
It came into popularity again when it came to the hands of the royal families and kings of India. Till 1304, this dazzling stone was under the possession of the kings of Malwa, but was not given this name yet. It was only after it came into the hands of the Mughal kings that it got its beautiful and meaningful name. The Mughals ruled various parts of India for more than 200 years and the diamond kept on passing from one generation to other and one ruler to the other. Shah Jahan, popularly known for building the Taj Mahal, got Kohinoor diamond encrusted to his world famous Peacock Throne.
The Mughals kept the Kohinoor with them from 1323 to 1850, and in the year 1851, Lord Dalhousie got it arranged that this was presented to Queen Victoria, the then Empress of India. In the year 1852, Prince Albert ordered the diamond to be cut, in order to increase its brilliance and the gigantic diamond was then reduced to 106 carats. It was then mounted to a tiara, along with 200 other diamonds.
This famous diamond has witnessed many wars and the bloodsheds including the one where a Mughal brother killed his own brother for power and rule.
An ancient Hindu text says that this diamond has curse associated with it and it read like this:
‘He who owns this diamond will own the world,
But will also own all its misfortunes,
Only God or a woman can wear it with impunity’.
It means that though the wearer of the stone will be so powerful that he can rule the world, yet he will also have to bear the misfortunes that this stone will bring along and it is only God or a female who can wear this stone without any ill effects of it. People believe that the Royal family of the Britain was aware of this ill effect and hence when the Kohinoor came into their possession, it has always been possessed by the wife of the male heir to the British Empire.
