Some interesting facts about Kohinoor

Every time Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi makes a trip to the United Kingdom, back home people are curious to know if he would ask the British royal family to return the Kohinoor. Although the Government of India has told the Supreme Court that it cannot force the Britishers to return the legendary jewel to India since it was neither stolen nor forcibly taken away but gifted to them, Indians do no give up the hope to see it back in India.

And the funniest part of the whole Kohinoor saga is that Pakistan too has asked for the possession of the precious stone. But did they even exist when the Britishers acquired it from India? Now that you have somehow controlled your laughter over Pakistan's claim, read on some interesting trivia about this famous jewel.

#1 Literally meaning mountain of lights, Kohinoor was mined from the Golconda region of Andhra Pradesh during the Kakatiya dynasty.

#2 After the subjugation of Punjab in the Second Sikh War in 1849, the last Sikh ruler of Punjab Duleep Singh was ordered by the then governor general of India Lord Dalhousie to personally hand over the rare diamond to the British Queen.

#3 Originally weighing 793 carats, Kohinoor's weight was subsequently reduced over the centuries, as it was cut several times and now it weighs around 105 carats.

#4 In 1852, Queen Victoria decided to reshape the diamond and it was cut down to 108.93 carats. After her death, the Kohinoor was set in the crown of Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward VII and was used at their coronation in 1902. The diamond was transferred to Queen Mary's crown in 1911 and finally to Queen Elizabeth's crown in 1937. When the Queen Mother died in 2002, it was placed on top of her coffin for the lying-in-state and funeral.

#5 The diamond is believed to be cursed. A Hindu text dating back to 1306, when the Kohinoor’s appearance was first recorded, states that only a woman could wear the stone, otherwise misfortunes would befall the male owner.

Author: Deepa Mishra

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