She left in her will that the Koh-i-noor should only be worn by a female queen. If the head of state was a man, his wife would have to carry the diamond. The Kohinoor is one of the oldest and most famous diamonds in the world. The history of Kohinoor diamond goes back in history to more than years ago. Up to It is believed that the diamond was first mentioned more than years ago in a Sanskrit script, where it was called the Syamantaka.
Maharajah Ranjit Singh. Nadir Shah. It is now displayed along with the other British crown jewels in the Tower of London. The biography of the French army general, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, by his widow Simonne says that George VI hid the Kohinoor at the bottom of a lake near Windsor Castle where it remained until after the war. The only people who knew of the hiding place were the king and his librarian, who apparently revealed the secret to the general and his wife on their visit to England in The subject of bitter battles and court intrigues, today Kohinoor casts its brilliance on the millions of tourists who, for the most part, are unaware of its long history in shaping the destinies of men.
This is the intriguing story of its eventful journey. Photo Source The Kohinoor has a complex history that goes back to the 13th century. Legend has it that it was used as an eye of the deity in a Kakatiya temple in Warangal in Photo Source In the early 14th century, Alauddin Khilji, second ruler of the Khilji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and his army began looting the kingdoms of southern India.
Search for:. It was only in the early 19th Century, when the Koh-i-Noor reached the Punjab, that the diamond began to achieve its preeminent fame and celebrity. Reality: The original uncut Koh-i-Noor was flawed at its very heart. Yellow flecks ran through a plane at its centre, one of which was large and marred its ability to refract light. That's why Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, was so keen that it be re-cut. The Koh-i-Noor is also far from being the largest diamond in the world: it's only the 90th largest.
In fact, tourists who see it in the Tower of London are often surprised by how small it is, especially when compared to the two much larger Cullinan diamonds that are displayed near it. Reality: It is impossible to know when the Koh-i-Noor was found, or where. That's what makes it such a mysterious stone. Some even believe that the Koh-i-Noor is, in fact, the legendary Syamantaka gem from the Bhagavad Purana tales of Krishna, one of the most popular Gods in the Hindu pantheon.
Indeed, according to Theo Metcalfe's report, tradition had it that "this diamond was extracted during the lifetime of Krishna". What we do know for sure is that it wasn't mined at all, but unearthed from a dry river bed, probably in south India. Indian diamonds were never mined but found in alluvial deposits of dry river beds. They are also called gunja in Sanskrit and gurivinta in some of the South Indian languages. They are closely associated with Krishna temples in the Kerala tradition.
Using ratti seed or in some cases, the real diamond itself, as the eye of idols, has been a practice of the land. Golconda diamond history says that trade flourished during the time of the Kakatiya dynasty, who established the famous Golconda fort in CE. Diamonds were mined from the region in and around Golconda, then cut and traded from there. The fortress city of Golconda was the market city for diamond trade and gems sold there came to be called Golcondas.
Golconda became synonymous with diamonds for Europe. By the s, the Golconda diamonds had gained so much popularity for their size, weight, and quality that they became a coveted brand of diamonds. Soon, Golconda became a generic term to denote a rich mine or source of immense wealth too. The Golcondas also earned immense wealth for India. All the ancient lores of India - Veda, Purana , the epics, other legends and folklore - speak of diamonds, its characteristics, and stories around them.
In contrast, Europe learnt of diamonds and its value only in the late s just over years ago. One of the earliest evidence of the importance given to diamonds and their mining in India can be gathered from the Arthashastra , a treatise on governance, administration, law, politics, strategy, and defence.
Diamonds find a specific mention among this list as a precious commodity for trade, treasury, savings, and adornment in the 4th century BCE itself. This work is at the same time so detailed as within India as well as outside. So much for the writings of the colonial historians, that India became civilized due to the visit of the Greeks. For, such a profound framework for governance of a land, especially based on indigenous Indian ethos as well as knowledge of the geography of entire India and overseas, could not have come about, without it having been practiced by generations of governments before Kautilya.
Most of the legendary diamonds of today were mined in India and owned by different kings and temples of India till the s. Marco Polo, the Italian adventurer who visited India in CE, documenting what he saw and learned during his visit to India.
The smaller and refused stones were sent to Europe from the port of Guntur District. Diamonds also made their way to other ancient civilizations, going by the records of the Greek. A km-stretch along this river has been the scene of intense diamond mining activity since millennia.
It was only much later, during the colonization of India, that most of these big diamonds were prized away to Europe and America. The material has been sourced from bharathgyan. This research team, led by a passionate husband-wife duo - Dr. DK Hari and Dr.
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