Trivia: Naulakha haar

Naulakha Haar is a famous necklace esrtwhile belonging to the landlord of Bihar - Maharaja Rameshwar Singh of Darbhanga. Not many people may know that he had the third best gems and jewellery collection (after Nizam and Gaekwad) of post-independence India. The most famous of the Darbhanga jewels was the 'Naulakha Haar' - a long necklace of pearls, diamonds and emeralds.

Originally, this necklace belonged to Peshwa Bajirao who acquired it for Rs nine lakh and that's how it got its name 'Naulakha'. For the unversed, 1 lakh is equal to 0.1 million. At that time, it remained with Peshwas till 1857 when it was sold by Peshwa Nanasaheb to Rana Jung Bahadur of Nepal for a pittance.

In 1901, Maharaja Rameshwar Singh bought it from Nepali Prime Minister Dhir Shamsher Rana who was forcefully removed from his post and fled Nepal. Its exact selling price is not known but it is said that Rameshwar Singh paid in cash as Shamsher Rana was short of fund and urgently needed money.

In modern parlance, Naulakha is used to refer to a multi-link ornate necklace.

Author: Deepa Mishra

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