KohiNoor

The Koh-i-Noor—also spelled Kohinoor, Kohe-Noor and Kohi-Nur—is one of the most famous diamonds in the world. Currently weighing 105.602 metric carats, it is set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and today remains on public display at the Jewel House in the Tower of London. Originating from the historic Kollur mine in present-day Andhra Pradesh, India, the diamond has passed through numerous dynasties, empires, and colonial powers, becoming an enduring symbol of both royal splendour and contested heritage.

Early References and Origins

The early history of the Koh-i-Noor is shrouded in uncertainty due to limited and inconsistent records. The earliest reliably attested weight is 186 old carats (approximately 191 metric carats), derived from references in the 1740s by the historian Muhammad Kazim Marvi during the invasion of India by Nader Shah. Earlier traditions link the diamond variously to rulers such as Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate and to the Mughal founder Babur, who wrote of a large diamond of comparable size. However, there is no definitive evidence confirming these earlier associations.
Indian diamonds, especially those of the Golconda region, were highly prized in medieval and early modern South Asia. During the Mughal era, however, the status of diamonds gradually shifted as nobles increasingly preferred colourful gems such as spinels and Burmese rubies. By the seventeenth century the Mughal treasury had grown so rich that Emperor Shah Jahan incorporated an array of jewels—including, according to later accounts, the Koh-i-Noor—into the opulent Peacock Throne completed in 1635.

Nader Shah and the Mughal Plunder

In 1738 Nader Shah of Persia invaded India in one of the most dramatic military campaigns of the eighteenth century. Following the capture of Delhi, his troops inflicted a massacre on the population and seized immense treasures from the Mughal court. Among the trophies was the Peacock Throne, from which Marvi records seeing the Koh-i-Noor adorning the head of one of the carved peacocks. According to legend, upon acquiring the stone Nader Shah exclaimed Koh-i-Noor, meaning “Mountain of Light” in Persian and in Hindi-Urdu.
After Nader Shah’s assassination in 1747, the diamond passed to his grandson, who in 1751 transferred it to Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of the Afghan Empire. The gem subsequently remained within the Durrani dynasty until the early nineteenth century.

Journey to the Sikh Empire

Shah Shuja Durrani, a descendant of Ahmad Shah, carried the diamond with him when he sought refuge in Lahore in 1813 after being deposed. Accounts differ as to how the Koh-i-Noor passed to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of the Sikh Empire. One tradition states that Shuja offered the diamond in gratitude for support, while Shuja’s own memoirs claim it was extorted from him through coercion.
Ranjit Singh placed great value on the diamond. He had jewellers examine it to confirm its authenticity and later displayed it prominently on his turban during public ceremonies and festivals such as Diwali and Dussehra. Gifted from earlier dynasties yet symbolising his power, the Koh-i-Noor occupied a place of honour in the Sikh treasury. Fearing theft, Ranjit Singh implemented elaborate precautions for its protection, including transporting it in a guarded camel convoy with numerous decoy panniers.
On his deathbed in 1839, Ranjit Singh expressed his wish that the diamond be donated to a Hindu temple in Orissa, though this was never carried out due to political turbulence following his death.

Annexation of the Punjab and Transfer to Britain

After a period of instability, the Sikh Empire faced two wars with the British East India Company. Following victory in the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the annexation of the Punjab in 1849, the Koh-i-Noor was formally ceded to the British Crown under the Treaty of Lahore. At the time its nominal owner was the 11-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh, who was placed under the guardianship and influence of British officials.
The diamond arrived in Britain the same year and was presented to Queen Victoria. Initially showcasing a Mughal-style cut similar to that of the Daria-i-Noor, it was displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. Public reaction was muted, as the flatter, traditional cut lacked the brilliance expected by European spectators.

Recutting and Royal Use

Prince Albert ordered the stone to be recut into an oval brilliant form by Coster Diamonds in Amsterdam. The process reduced its weight from over 108 metric carats to its present 105.602 metric carats. The culet, or bottom point, was left notably broad, a feature that gives the diamond a distinctive dark appearance when viewed directly from above. Despite this, gemologists describe the stone as lively and optically impressive.
Since its arrival in Britain the Koh-i-Noor has been worn exclusively by female members of the Royal Family. Queen Victoria wore it in brooches and circlets. It was later set in the Crown of Queen Alexandra (1901), the Crown of Queen Mary (1911), and finally the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1937), in which it remains mounted today.

Modern Display and Ownership Disputes

The Koh-i-Noor continues to be a centrepiece of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and is exhibited in the Tower of London. Its ownership, however, remains deeply contested. Since 1947 the governments of India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan have asserted historical claims to the diamond, arguing that it was taken during periods of conflict or colonial control. The British government maintains that the stone was ceded legally under the Treaty of Lahore, while a statement by the Archaeological Survey of India in 2018 suggested that the gem had been surrendered rather than seized by force.
The diamond thus stands at the intersection of history, culture, and contested memory, symbolising both the splendour and the complexities of South Asian and British imperial histories. Its long journey—from the mines of the Deccan to Mughal treasuries, Persian courts, Afghan rulers, the Sikh Empire, and finally the British Crown—continues to evoke debate, fascination, and enduring global interest.