Review: Kohinoor by Dalrymple & Anand

William Dalrymple and Anita Anand's Kohinoor is filled with mysteries, deceits, and murders but the lust and allure for the diamond has still not dwindled. 

“…blinded, slow-poisoned, tortured to death, burned in oil, threatened with drowning, crowned in molten lead, assassinated by their own family and bodyguards, lost their kingdom and died in penury.”

This describes some of the ways the owners of the Kohinoor - the world’s most infamous diamond - suffered. Kohinoor written by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand follows the journey of the Kohinoor diamond. The story begins in fables before exchanging hands between kings at considerable cost before finally settling today, in an anti-climactic fashion, in a locked room in the Tower of London.

The book is divided into two parts: The first part titled, The Jewel in the Throne, follows until Kohinoor rests in the East while part two The Jewel in the Crown follows the journey of Kohinoor into the hands of the British - where it still resides.

The origins of Kohinoor are shrouded in mystery - adding to its allure. Despite references to gemstones and jewels in Indian mythological stories, none matched the description of Kohinoor. Perhaps, the earliest reference to the Kohinoor was mentioned by Portuguese philosopher Garcia da Orto from the Vijayanagara Empire, “Many years ago I heard from a person worthy of credit that he saw on in Vijayanagara the size of a small hen’s egg.” While the description matches, at least the size, it is unprovable that the diamond referred to is Kohinoor.

Kohinoor suddenly appears in the hands of Babur and passed onto Humayun before disappearing again. It transverses to the Deccan to finally reach the hands of an unknown merchant, Mir Jumla - who presents it to Shah Jahan to curry favour. As the fog of mystery around Kohinoor is slowly removed, the murderous journey begins.

In the hands of Shah Jahan, who became one of the greatest connoisseurs of precious stones, installed Kohinoor as one of the eyes of the peacock as part of the Peacock Throne - the most spectacular jewelled object ever made. Since the Mughals had untold wealth, Kohinoor was one of the many precious stones. It played second fiddle to Timur Ruby - considered to be more precious.

It was passed on to Aurangzeb after Shah Jahan’s death. Unlike his father, Aurangzeb was interested in conquests of kingdoms. The Kohinoor was now part of the Mughal treasury - one among many precious stones.

Kohinoor left the Mughal and Indian subcontinent after Aurangzeb’s death. Nader Shah, founder of the Afsharid Dynasty in Iran, invaded and looted Delhi in 1739 under inept Mughal ruler Muhammad Shah.

An incident, most likely an apocryphal, on how Nader Shah got the hands of Kohinoor. According to the story, Nader Shah - after successfully conquering Delhi - after discovering that Nader Shah had hidden Kohinoor under his turban offers a turban exchange as a mark of ‘friendship.’ Awestruck by the shine, Nader Shah names it Kohinoor or Mountain of Light. Even if there are doubts regarding the story, the outcome is without a doubt - Kohinoor leaves the Mughals and arrives in Persia, now Iran. 

Nader Shah sitting on the Peacock Throne; Courtesy: Wikipedia

Here onwards, death or immense suffering follows the owners of Kohinoor - also known as the curse of Kohinoor. Nader Shah wears both Kohinoor and the Timur Ruby on his armband. Later, in 1747 he is murdered in his camp. Shah Rukh, the grandson of Nader Shah, is believed to have hidden Kohinoor. Aga Mohammad, the former court eunuch, tortures Shah Rukh and later pours a jug of molten lead onto his head to extract the whereabouts of Kohinoor and other precious stones. It is unknown where Aga Mohammad ever got his hands on Kohinoor. Irrespective, he faces the curse and is eventually assassinated by two of his servants.

The murderous trail stops, albeit temporarily. Kohinoor finds its way into the hands of Ahmad Khan Abdali - Nader Shah’s seniormost Afghan general and founder of the Durrani empire - and begins its residence in Afghanistan for the next 70 years. Kohinoor is passed from one generation to another - from Ahmad Shah to his son, Timur Shah, who passes it to his son, Shah Zaman.

Deceit, perfidy begins. Shah Zaman is deceived and later blinded by his chieftain, Ashiq Shinwari. However, Shah Zaman successfully hid Kohinoor. It was later discovered by a mullah who was using it as a paperweight. Shah Zaman’s brother, Shuja, got hold of Kohinoor and wore it on his arm like an amulet. Later, Shuja is cheated and arrested by his former courtier and present governor of Kashmir, Ata Muhammad Khan. Yet Ata Muhammad is unable to find the whereabouts of Kohinoor.

Ranjit Singh, the first emperor of the Sikh empire, started eying on the Kohinoor. He promised to rescue Shuja in exchange for Kohinoor. In 1813, Ranjit Singh defeats Ata Mohammad and rescues Shuja. However, Shuja refuses to fulfil his part of the bargain. Ranjit Singh puts Shuja in a cage and allegedly tortures his eldest son until Shuja relents. 

Kohinoor rested quietly - at least initially - for the next 36 years with the Sikh empire. Ranjit Singh wore the Kohinoor strapped to his biceps. Once Ranjit Singh, out of curiosity asks Shuja’s wife, Wa’fa Begum, to estimate the value of Kohinoor. She replies: “If a strong man were to throw four stones, one to each of the cardinal points, North, South, East and West, and fifth stone vertically, and if the space between were to be filled with gold and precious stones, they would not equal the value of Kohinoor.” 

Ranjit Singh wearing Kohinoor on his right arm

The death of Ranjit Singh in 1839 sets the domino in motion with Kohinoor exchanging hands closely followed by murders. Everyone wanted the Kohinoor including the pandits of Jagannath Temple, Orissa. During the last days of Ranjit Singh, the Brahmins of Jagannath persuaded Ranjit to donate the Kohinoor to the temple. However, the promise was reneged later - with Ranjit’s questionable mental state as one of the reasons for the denial. Even to this day, pandits of Jagannath Temple claim the rightful heirs of the Kohinoor.

Kharak Singh, the eldest legitimate son of Ranjit, took over the reign of the kingdom and became the newest owner of Kohinoor. His louche behaviour along with his love for drugs, drinks and dancing girls made several enemies. He was slowly poisoned to death. His son, an 18-year-old Nau Nihal became the next king. A charismatic young leader shortly died of an ‘accident’ when a structure collapsed on him. Sher Singh, the half-brother of Kharak Singh, became the next king. On a hunting expedition a year later, in 1843, a gun ‘went off' and killed him. Duleep Singh, a five-year-old son of Ranjit Singh became the next king. With the Kohinoor strapped to his soft little arm, Duleep sat on his mother’s lap while she (Rani Jindan) ruled over the empire.

All this while, the British were eyeing the Kingdom and the Kohinoor. They felt it was the opportune time to wage a war and succeeded in subduing the Sikhs. It later came to be known as the First and the Second Anglo-Sikh War - the latter resulted in a set of conditions by the British including “the gem called the Kohinoor…shall be surrendered by the Maharajah of Labor to the Queen of England.” The passage of Kohinoor from Lahore to England was - like its journey so far - eventful. The ship Medea - which was carrying Kohinoor - was struck with storms and a cholera epidemic, almost sunk the ship before making its way to England.

Disappointment and dismemberment follow. Kohinoor is shown in an exhibition of 1851. However, initial excitement to see the famous diamond was replaced by disappointment due to its dim radiance. This highlighted the difference between the East and the West. Most Indians, including the Mughals, liked their gems as close to their natural state and original size. In contrast, the British were more interested in the sparkle and bringing out the ‘fire’ within. The British hired Dutch masters to cut Kohinoor and make it sparkle again. The cut was a disaster and a success. In terms of mass - it was cut more than halved from 190.3 metric carats to 93 metric carats. But it sparkled. 

After the second Anglo-Sikh war, Emperor Duleep Singh was separated from his mother and placed with a British Resident. Later Duleep Singh was exiled to British at the age of fifteen to keep him away from his mother and make him an ‘Anglophile.’ He even converted to Christianity. While Duleep enjoyed a decadent lifestyle in Britain, the loss of Kohinoor must have hurt him.

Duleep Singh, who never saw Kohinoor since the time the British took it away, goes on to make a strange request. He states, “I would give a good deal to hold it again in my own hand…I would like to have it in my power to place it myself in Her Majesty’s hand.” Duleep is shown the Kohihoor, holds it in his hand and looks at it carefully against the sunlight. Despite having strong emotions, Duleep places the Kohinoor into Queen Victoria’s hand. “It is to me, Ma’am, the greatest pleasure thus to have the opportunity, as a loyal subject, of myself tendering to my Sovereign - the Koh-i-Noor.” And thus, Duleep officially gives away the Kohinoor an adult that was snatched from him as a child.

Duleep is severely affected by this event. Kohinoor represented to Duleep — the pain of losing his family, his empire and his culture. Angered and cheated by the British, Duleep started drinking heavily and leading a lavish, unsustainable lifestyle. In 1893, Duleep Singh - who wore Kohinoor around his arm as a young boy - died pennilessly.

As for Kohinoor, it was believed that women could wear it with impunity but not men. It has been placed on the crown and is rarely seen by the public. It now sits at the Jewel House in the Tower of London. 

Kohinoor in front of the cross on the Crown