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The Koh-i-Noor or Kohinoor is a 108 carat diamond that originated in the subcontinent of India. The diamond was later given, under controversial circumstances, to Queen Victoria and currently is in a crown of the British royal family. "Koh-i-noor" is Persian and means "Mountain of Light".Like all significant jewels, the Koh-i-Noor diamond has its share of legends. This particular stone is reputed to bring severe misfortune or death to any male who wears or owns it. It is, by legend, worth the amount of wealth generated around the whole world in seven days.
1 Origins and early history
Despite claims it is 5,000 years old, the first note mentioning it was when it was held by the Rajah of Malwa , India and then a succession of Mogul emperors from 1526 to 1739. After construction of the Tajmahal, the stone was mounted on the walls of the imperial chambers. When the Emperor Aurangazeb imprisoned his ailing father, Shah Jahan in the Taj Mahal, the son had the Koh-i-noor stationed against a window so that Shah Jahan could look at the stone and see the breathtaking North Indian countryside reflected in the stone. There it stayed until the invasion of Nadir Shah and the sacking of Agra and Delhi. Along with the Peacock Throne, he also carried off the Koh-i-noor to Persia in 1739. This is when the stone was named the Koh-i-noor. After the assassination of Nadir Shah in 1747Events January 31 The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Dock Hospital April 9 The Scottish Jacobite Lord Lovat was beheaded by axe on Tower Hill, London, for high treason; he was the last man to be executed in this way in Britain May 3 Battle it apparently came into the hands of Ahmad ShahSee Ahmad Shah Qajar for the Persian ruler ( 1909- 1925). Ahmad Shah ( 1724- 1773), founder of the Durrani dynasty in Afghanistan, was the son of Sammaun-Khan, hereditary chief of the Abdali tribe. While still a boy Ahmad fell into the hands of the hostil of AfghanistanAfghanistan ( Dari/ Pashtu: Afgnistn is a country in Central Asia. It is bordered by Iran in the west, Pakistan in the south and east, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the easternmost part of the country. It is among the. From here, it became part of the booty of Sikh warrior Ranjit SinghMaharaja Ranjit Singh was a Sikh ruler of the Punjab. His tomb is located in Lahore, Pakistan. External links Sikhism Indian history., obtained during a campaign in AfghanistanAfghanistan ( Dari/ Pashtu: Afgnistn is a country in Central Asia. It is bordered by Iran in the west, Pakistan in the south and east, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the easternmost part of the country. It is among the in the 19th century.
2 A controversial gift
Ranjit Singh later crowned himself as the ruler of PunjabThe Punjab (sometimes spelt Panjab is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. Once a single entity, it is now split between two nations: see Punjab, India and Punjab, Pakistan. Punjab, India covers an area of 50,362 square kilometres (1 and willed the Koh-i-noor to a Hindu temple in OrissaOrissa is a state situated in the east coast of India. Orissa is bounded on the north by Bihar, on the north-east by West Bengal, on the east by the Bay of Bengal, on the south by Andhra Pradesh and on the west by Chhattisgarh. The Eastern Ghats range and while on his deathbed. But after his death the British administrators failed to execute his will, and the diamond was given by Ranjit Singh's successor, Duleep Singh, to Queen Victoria in 1851. But Indian historians argue that Ranjit's successor was only a minor, and would not have given the diamond away without prompting from his British advisers.
