The death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland has rekindled social media with the tweets becoming abuzz with demands for the return of the 105.6-carat Kohinoor diamond to India. Kohinoor, which means ‘Mountain of Light’, is a colourless diamond believed to have been first mined in the 13th century, near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh by the Kakatiya dynasty.
KOHINOOR; THE DEMAND
Hundreds of people on Twittercalled for the return of the Kohinoor diamond soon after the death of the queen. Most of the netizens had the term “Kohinoor” trending in India. They called upon Britain to return the diamond to its country of origin.
KOHINOOR; THE HANDING OVER
The diamond that came into the British hands during the colonial era is the subject of a historic ownership dispute and at least four countries claim it now. Over the years, Kohinoor got passed on to the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji and then to the Mughal empire. Later Persian invader Nadir Shah took it to Afghanistan. It then passed through different dynasties before reaching Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Maharaja of Punjab, in 1809. With Singh’s successor losing the kingdom to the British, the Kohinoor was ceded to Queen Victoria during the colonial rule.
KOHINOOR; CROWN JEWEL
Queen Victoria wore the precious jewel as a brooch. However, it soon became a part of crown jewels – first in the crown of Queen Alexandra and then in the crown of Queen Mary.
Finally, it formed a part of a dazzling crown made in 1937 for Queen Elizabeth, consort of King George VI, for the latter’s coronation on May 12, 1937. The crown, which has a platinum frame set with 2,800 diamonds, has a front cross holding the Kohinoor diamond in a detachable platinum mount.
KOHINOOR; WHO WILL HAVE IT NOW?
The Kohinoor-studded crown will go to the next monarch who is now King Charles III, Queen’s eldest son. However, going by the ascension history of the Kohinoor, the diamond will go to the next Queen, which in this case is Camilla Parker Bowles, the Queen Consort.
