The Kohinoor Diamond in the British Crown Jewels was the Eye of Hindu Goddess of

The Kohinoor Diamond in the British Crown Jewels was the Eye of Hindu Goddess of Warangal The Kohinoor diamond was Originally Installed as one the eye of the Presiding goddess of Warangal by the Kakatiya Kings.In 1323. Ghiyath al_Din Tughuluqdefeated the kakatiya rrulers and took the diamond from the temple. Doe to this sin, Ghiyath al-Din-Tughluq was murdered just one year latter in a conspiracy by this his own,son This cursed jewel was passed on to various kings thoughout history always bringing great misfortume and death GODDESS BHADRAKALI OF WARANGAL, THE TRUE ONWER OF THE THE KOHINOOR DIAMOND. iN 1839, on his deathbed, Maharaj Rajit Singh Of Punjab donated the Hoh-i-noor diamond to Lord Jagannathof the puri Jgannath Temple in Orissa,but as he died the diamond was refised to be transferred to the temple by the British administrators. Thus for a second for time the diamond had been stolen from a Hindu temple. BHADRAKALI TEMPLE ON WARNGAL In 1850, the jewel was stolen from India and delivered to the British monarchy by force.Due to the curse of the diamond, the khinoor diamond.Today this same Kohinoor diamond is the crown jewel of the British empire, to be wom by the Queen of England. There have been many suggestions that the diamond should be returned to India. THE JEWEL IN THE : Crown: The Curse fo the KOH-I-NOOR DIAMOND Its 750 Years history is peppered with tales of murder and treacery. Now secret papers recently released have added another twist to the 186-cart Gem’s colourful history. Some 155 years ago, a nine-year-old boy carring a silk cushion was brought before Queen Victoria.His job was simple: to present Britain with the most glittering and symbolic spoll of its war to subjugate the Indian sub-continent. The boy was Duleep sing, the last Sikh ruler of the Punjab, and the prize his new imperial master had made him travel 4.200 miles to driver was the KOH-I-NOOR diamond the mysterious and terrible stone of emperors. The 186-carat Gem, whose name means Mountain of Light in Persian and was described by one Mughal ZEmperor as being Worth half the dail experse of the whole world, carried with it a curse and a 750-years bloodstained history of murder, Megalomania and treachery. But its passage to Britain in 1851 carried a different meaning:It was a carefully choreagraphed execise in establishing the majestry of the Raj- and the one-way flow of riches from it. Lord Dalhousie, the Governor General of India who was credited with masterminding the subjugation of the Punjab in the Second Sikh War in 1849 and subsequent surrender of the diamond, ordered that Prince Duleep,London”s hew puppet Maharajah of Lahore,delover the koh-i-noor in person. The diamond was war botty and its delivery was to be a spectacle carried out in much the same manner as the tribute paid by defeated enemies of Egyptain Pharaohs and Roman emperors. It is the centerpiece of the Great Exhibition of 1851, attraction fo Visitors. QUEEN ALEXANDRA WEARING THE KOHINOOR DIAMOND IN HER CROWN In letter to a friend in 1849, the viceroy wrote; My motive was simple this That it was more for the honour of the Queen that the KOH-I-NOOR should be surrendered directly from hand of the conquered prince inot the hands of the sovereign who was his conqueror,that it should be presented to her as a gift, It was perhaps with ords echoling in their ears that 127 years later, British diplomats began tha delicate task of dealing with a forceful request from Pakistan –on whose territory the KHO-I-NOOR Was surrendered that the diamond be returned. Secret govermment papers released under the 30 year rule today at the Nationa Archives in Kew, London,Detail how in 1976, officials at the foregn Offic formulated a firm rebuttal to the Pakistani claim on what had literally a jewel of the Britidh Crown Prince Albert, Victoria:s Husband, spent 8.000 on having the KOH-I-NOOR Re-cut at a cost of 40 per of its weight sliming it down to 105 carats after complaints at the Great Exhibition that the imperial prize was lacking in luster, It was set into the Imperial Crown and since 1911 the Diamond has been wom in crowns wom by the female consort to the monarch, including thate late Queen Mother, who wore it for her Husband”s coronation in 1937 and for her daughter”s coronation in 1953. The demand for the restoration of diamond came from the Pakistani Prime Minnister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in a letter to his British counterpart, James Callaghan. Dated 13 August 1976, the latter began: I am writing to you shortly before our annual Independence Day. This occasion never fails to bring to mind Pakistan”s historic grievances about the disposition of territories and assets to which we were entitled upon the termination of Brisish rule; Evoking the Immense sentimental value of the diamond to Pakistan, Mr Bhutto continued Its return to Pakistan would be a convincing demonstration of the spirit that moved Britaion volutrily to shed its Imperial encumbrances But a memo from one senior civil servant made it clear that Britain considered possession to be nine-tenths of the law. It read The stark facts are these We have the KOH-I-NOOR diamond whether or not our possession of it is legally justified We have made it clear that we are keeping the miamond, adducing the best arguments to support or contention” The final response was expressed in more diplomatic language and made use of the fact that, such is allure and mystuqye of the diamond, at least a dozed emperors, maharajahs, sultans and govermments had been prepared to indulge in are savagery and deceit to obtain it. Advisers to Mr Callaghan pointed out that the 1849 Treaty of Lahore, drawn up by Lord Dalhousie to formalize British rule in Punjab contained a clause formally surrendering the KOH-I-NOOR to the Queen of England. They also suggested that its passage over the centruries through owners from the Delhi sultanate to the Persian shah meant there would be competin claims for ownership from Iran,Pakistan and India. In response to Mr Bhotto, Mr Callaghan said I need not remind you of the various hads throught which the stone has passed over the past two centuries, nor hat explicit provision for its transfer to the British Crown was mae in the peace treaty with the Maharajah of lahor which conclude the war of 1849 I could not advise Her Majesty the Queen that it should be surrendered . Islamabad responded to the rejection by immediately releasing the letter between Mr Bhutto and Mr Challaghan to the Pakistani press, but drew only a muted public response. The spat was only the latest in a bloddy seccession a battles for a gemstione which has been the embodiment of the supre,acy of force, and a harbinger of ill furtone throughout its history, The KOH-I-NOOR was mined in India in around 1100 and probably originated from Golcond in the southern region of Andhra Pradesh. The shape and size of small hen”s egg, the diamond attained a sinster mystiqye, It is probably not entirely coincidental that KOH-I-NOOR is reserved for use in crown used by a femal member of the British Royal Family A Hindu twxt from the time of KOH-I-NOOR itsfirst authenticated appearance in 1306, states that the stone carries a curse lethal to male owners. It read Only God or a woman can wear it with impunity.” By the 16 th century, the stone had fallen into the hands of the first Mughal emperor, BabUr, whose son was the fisrst to fall foul of the curse by being driven from his kingdom into exile. The later Mughal ruler, Shah jahan, who built The tah mahal had the diamond placed into the famous Peacock throne of the dynasty byt spent his last days watching its reflection thought a barred window after being imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb. Fearing the curse The Present Queen avoids wearing the KOHINOOR DIAMOND Instead wears the IMPERIAL STATE CROWN It was only after the mughals had been deposed and control of the diamond passed to the Persians that the loh-i-noor received its present day name. The story has it that nadir shah the conqueror of the mughals, was preparing return to home after sacking Delhi in 1736, when he realized the Diamond was missing from his booty. He was supposedly tipped off by a disenchanted member of the mughal Emperor”s marem that his enemy klept it hidden in his turban. Using an old war custom, Nadir shah proposed an exchange of turbans. As the gem fell to the ground from the unfurling cloth and caught the light, Nadir Shah is said to Have proclaimed koh-i-noor Since then, the diamond has been lusted after by its owners, who have been hypnotized by its value and statues.As one of Nadir shah”s courtiers put it: Of a strong man should take five stones and throw one north, one south, one one est and one west, and the last straight up in the air and then the space beween filled with gold and gems, that would equal the value of the koh-i-noor. After the assassination of Nadir Shah, another victim of the cursem the diamond passed through the hands of his successors, each dethroned aand ritually blinded untile it was passed in return for sanctuary to Ranjit Singh the lion of Lahore, self-declared ruler of Punjab and father of Duleep singh. Within 40 Years the stone had passed into the possession of Lord Dalhousie after a military campaign every bit as possession of the kph-i-noor What followed was a processof the Anglicistion of the diamond . After Prince Albert had ot trimeed it was mounted in a tiara, while prince Duleep was made a ward o f the British Crown compete with an annual stipend of 50.000 . He converted to Christianlty and became a member of the racy circle of the young Edaward VII, but in poverty in Paris in 1893. Some historians have poined out that after 155 years in the possession of British monarchy, the present Queen can claim be one of the longest-standing owners of the kph-i-noor. It is kept in the Tower of London as part of the Crown Jewels collection which is worth an estimated 13bn. But despite Mr Callaghan”s rebuttal to Pakisatan 30 years ago, the attraction of the diamond remain undimmed remains undimmed. The Indian High Commissioner to London accused Britain of fanting the riches of empire when the Queen Mother”s 1937 Coronation Crown was carried atop her coffin in 2002 . The mere suggestion last year that the same crown may pass to camill, the Duchess of Cornwall, should her husband become king,was enough for new Delhi to renew its request. A spokesman for the High Commission in London said: The Indian government has a legitimante claim. We resolve the issue as soon as possible But behind closed doors in Whitehall, it is unlikely that the position outlined 30 years age has changed Epilogue: On 21 february 2013 While visiting India Devid Cameron,the UK Prime Minister stated that it would be illogical to return the diamond to India.He further stated it would be illogical to return the diamond to India. He further stated, I certainly don’t believe in returnism, as it were I don’t think that’s sensible we should remember that his country forced India to hand over this priceless diamond during the colonial era. Cameron is keen to tap into India economic rice, but says he is anxiour to facus on the present and future rather that reach back into the past.