Early History

The Koh-i-Noor is perhaps the most famous of all the famous diamonds in the world, which according to legend may be the oldest diamond in the world, with a history dating back to at least 3,000 years B.C. However according to recorded history the Koh-i- Noor diamond dates back to the latter half of the 13th century. The diamond belonged to different rulers from India, Persia, and Afghanistan, who sometimes fought bitterly over it, at various times in history, and seized it as a spoil of war. It eventually became part of the British Crown Jewels, when the stone was surrendered to Queen Victoria in 1851, by the successor to the last owner of the diamond, Maharaj Ranjith Singh, the ruler of Pungab.

Like all other ancient diamonds, the Koh-i-Noor also has many legends associated with it. According to one such legend the stone could bring misfortune or death to any male who wears or owns it, and conversely it could bring good luck to any female who does so. According to another popular legend associated with the diamond the stone bestows superiority to it's owner over his enemies.

The origin of the Koh-i-Noor seems to be shrouded in mystery. One reason for this is that the name Koh-i-Noor was first used to refer to this diamond only in 1739, after it came into the possession of Nadir Shah, when he plundered the wealth of Agra and Delhi. The named used for the diamond prior to 1739, is not known, but there is strong historical evidence linking the Koh-i-Noor with the diamond referred to in the "Baburnama", the memoirs of Babur, written by the Emperor himself, between 1526 and 1530. There are many early stories of great diamonds in Southern India, from where the Koh-i-Noor most probably originated, but one finds it difficult to establish which one of them refers to the Koh-i-Noor.

According to a popular legend, the origins of Koh-i-Noor dates back to over 5,000 years, and is said to be mentioned in ancient Sanskrit Writings under the name "Syamantaka." Popular Hindu beliefs hold that Lord Krishna himself obtained the diamond from Jambavantha, whose daughter Jambavati he later married. The diamond was later stolen from Krishna, as he lay sleeping. According to another source the diamond was discovered in India from a river bed in 3,200 B.C.

Being a diamond of the 13th century, the Koh-i-Noor diamond could not have originated in the Kollur mines near Golconda, because the diamantiferous deposits of Kollur were discovered only in the mid 16th century. The next probable source for the diamond would be Sambalpur group of mines situated on the banks of the Mahanadi River, on the eastern side of the Deccan Plateau in the Central Provinces of India. It is well known that most of the diamonds known to ancient Indians came from the alluvial deposits of the Mahanadi River. In fact, the Mahanadi River itself has been identified as the diamond river mentioned by Ptolemy, the Greek writer and historian, in A.D. 60 to 90.