Origin of name

The name by which the Koh-i-Noor diamond was known prior to the capture of Delhi and Agra by Nadir Shah in 1739 is not known. But, there is strong evidence to suggest that this is the same stone referred to in Emperor Babur's memoirs the "Baburnama", which he wrote between 1526 and 1530 A.D. Thus the stone is commonly referred to as the Babur Diamond when referring to it, in the period before 1739. It was Nadir Shah, who is believed to have exclaimed Koh-i Noor ! ( Mountain of Light), when he saw the diamond for the first time after it was surrendered to him by the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah.

Characteristics of the diamond

The Koh-i-Noor diamond originally weighed 186 carats, when the stone was in India, Persia and Afghanistan, but, subsequently after the stone was surrendered to the British, and became part of the British Crown Jewels, the stone was re-cut to an oval stellar brilliant, weighing 108.93 carats, with a resultant loss of almost 43 % of it's original weight. The diamond is a D-color diamond with exceptionl clarity, characteristic of stones originating from the Indian sub-continent.

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.

Koh-i-Noor with the Delhi Sultanate (1295-1526)

The diamond came into the possession of the rulers of the Delhi Sultanate in the late 13th or early 14th centuries. According to one version, as stated in the Baburnama, Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji (1296-1316) of the Delhi Sultanate is credited with having acquired the jewel either in the late 13th or early 14th centuries. There are three different versions on how Sultan Ala-ud-din came to be the owner of the diamond. One version says that he took the jewel in 1295, one year before his accession to the throne as Sultan, from the Rajah of Malwa, whose family had owned it for many generations, after having led an expedition to the Deccan, conquering Malwa, and capturing a large amount of booty, which included the Koh-i-Noor diamond. One year after this in 1296, Ala-ud-din murdered his uncle Sultan Jalal-ud-din and assumed power as the new Sultan. This version is as recorded in Baburnama.

According to a second version, Sultan Ala-ud-din took possession of the Koh-i Noor, one year after his accession to the throne in 1297, when he attacked and subdued the Kingdom of Gujarat, taking a large booty that included the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Yet another version attributes the acquiring of the diamond to Malik Kafur, the Lieutenant of Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji, who was sent on a plundering expedition to the south in 1308, which led to the capture of Warangal, the capital of Kakatiya Kings, situated in Northern Andhra Pradesh. Malik Kafur also occupied Madura, in the extreme south, and returned to Delhi in 1311, laden with spoils of war, which may have included the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

A second version of the early history of the diamond gives the credit of acquiring the stone to Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq Shah I, the Ist Sultan of the Tughluq Dynasty, after the collapse of the Khalji Dynasty in 1320 A.D. It is said that Ghiyas-ud-din sent his son Ulugh Khan in 1323 A.D. to defeat the Kakatiya King Prataparudra based in Warangal. Ulugh Khan succeeded in capturing Warangal in his second attempt, and subsequently looted and plundered the city. Large quantities of gold, diamonds, pearls, and ivory were carried away as spoils of war to Delhi, on elephants and camels. The Koh-i-Noor diamond was believed to be part of the bounty.

Considering the above versions of the early history of the diamond, it appears that the stone came into the possession of the rulers of the Delhi Sultanate in the late 13th or early 14th century. Subsequently the stone had passed through the hands of successive rulers of the Delhi Sultanate for almost 200 years, until finally it came into the possession of Babur, the first Mogul emperor, in 1526, after the defeat of the Lodi dynasty, the last ruling family of the Delhi Sultanate.

Koh-i-Noor with the Mogul Emperors (1526-1540) According to Historians, the stone acquired by Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji at least two centuries

According to Historians, the stone acquired by Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji at least two centuries before, was surrendered to Humayun, the son of Babur, who was the founder of the Mogul dynasty in India, either by the family members of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi or the Rajah of Gwalior, both of whom fought on the same side against the Mogul invaders and were killed by Babur's forces at the battle of Panipat in 1526.

After the defeat of Ibrahim Lodi, the last Sultan of the Lodi dynasty, of the Delhi Sultanate, Humayun was assigned the task of taking possession of all the jewels that had belonged to the slain Sultan. After Humayun's men ransacked the royal treasury and failed to find the diamond, a servant gave the information that it was hidden in the palace. When Humayun entered the palace the women of Ibrahim Lodi's family began to weep. After Humayun assured that their life and honour would be safe in his hands and they would be treated with kindness and in keeping with their status, Ibrahim Lodi's mother went silently into a room, and emerged with a gold box, which with trembling hands he handed over to the young prince. Humayun opened the box and found the diamond.

The other version is that Humayun entered the fort of Agra, and captured the members of the family of the slain Rajah of Gwalior, Vikramaditya. Humayun spared the lives of the captives and treated them with kindness and did not allow them to be plundered. The family members of the Rajah were so overwhelmed by this magnanimous gesture, that they decided to present the royal jewels of the Rajah of Gwalior to Humayun, which included the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Babur whose original name was Zahir-ud-din Muhammad, was a descendant of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, and also of Timur (Tamarlane) of Samarqand. He was a military adventurer and soldier of distinction and a poet and diarist of genius, as well as a statesman.

In his memoirs, the Baburnama, he mentions the Koh-i-Noor by an identifiable name, and states that it belonged to an unnamed Rajah of Malwa in 1294. According to Babur the stone at that time had an immense monetary value, that it could have fed the whole world for two days. The Baburnama relates how the Rajah of Malwa was compelled to part with his prized possession to Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji. It was then owned by a succession of dynasties, that ruled the Delhi Sultanate, finally coming into the possession of Babur himself in 1526, following his victory over the last ruler of that kingdom. However even Babur's version may not be authentic, as sources for his information are unknown, and he may have been just recounting the hearsay of his day. He did not refer to the stone by it's present name, and in spite of the controversy about it's identity, it seems fairly certain that Babur's diamond was the stone which later became known as the Koh-i-Noor.

Babur arrived in Agra on May 4th, 1526, and as mentioned in the Baburnama, was presented with the famous diamond by his son Humayun, but the father later gave it back to his son as a gift.

About 4 years after Babur's crucial victory at Panipat, Humayun fell seriously ill, and doctors had given up all hopes of saving his life, when it was suggested that Babur Sacrifice his dearest possession to save his son. Babur felt that his most precious possession was his own life, and moved around the bed three times praying that Humayun's life be spared and his own life be sacrificed instead. Miraculously Humayun's condition improved after this, but Babur's own health declined and he died in Dec. 1530.

Humayun succeeded his father as Emperor of Hindustan, but was unfortunate that his father was not able to consolidate fully his conquests in India, during his short rule of 4 years. Humayun initially ruled for about 10 years from 1530 to 1540, but during this period, instead of consolidating the empire his father had set up, embarked on more adventures, trying to subdue more territories. Initially he appeared to be successful, conquering Malwa and Gujarat, but was not able to hold them. There after he suffered a succession of defeats at the hands of Sher Shah's forces who advanced from Bengal. Humayun retreated from Delhi and Agra to Lahore, then to Sind, and finally sought refuge in Iran. In his hurry to escape he left his only son (Akbar), and daughter and his several wives in India.

Koh-i-Noor leaves India for Persia, for the first time (1540-1547)

The Shah of Iran Thamsap I, received him cordially and granted him exile. Eventually he promised him military aid to regain his kingdom, provided he became a Shiite Muslim, and returned Qandahar to Iran, in the event of it's successful capture from the Afghan rulers.

Humayun waited until the death of Sher Shah (May 1545), and during the period of his successor Islam Shah (1553), he began his military campaign to regain his lost Kingdom. At first he captured Qandahar and Kabul, and in Dec 1554 crossed the Indus and marched to Lahore, which he captured without opposition. In Feb. 1555, he occupied Sirhind and in July 1555, captured Delhi and Agra. He thus regained the throne of Delhi, and was re-united with his family after an interval of 15 years. But, Humayun did not live long to recover the whole of the lost Empire. He died six months later, as a result of an accident, in Jan. 1556. The news of his death was kept a secret for about two weeks, until the peaceful accession of his son Akbar, who was 13 years old and was at the time away in Punjab as it's Governor.

It is said that Humayun carried the large diamond which his father gave him, when he went into exile in Iran. While in Iran, he was so kindly treated by the Shah, that as an expression of gratitude he presented the Babur Diamond and other jewels to Shah Thamsap. This is mentioned in the Akbarnama-Memoirs of Akbar- written by the historian Abdul Fazal, who was later appointed as secretary to the Emperor Akbar. The presentation of the diamond to the Shah was also confirmed by Khur Shah, the Ambassador of Ibrahim Qutb, King of Golconda, at the Persian Court. He said that a diamond of six mishquals, was presented to the Shah, that was worth the expenditure of the whole world for 2½ days, a familiar way of appraising the Babur Diamond. However, he also said that Shah thamsap was not so impressed and later sent it as a gift to Burhan Nizam (1509-1553), the Shah of Ahmednagar. These events took place in 1547.

Koh-i-Noor returns back to India (1547-1600)

Ahmednagar was a town in west-central Maharashtra State, Western India. It lies along the Sina River, 130 miles east of Bombay. It was conquered by Malik Ahmed Nizam Shah, founder of the Ahmednagar dynasty in 1490, who built a formidable fort now known as the Ahmed Nizam Shah's Fort. The Nizam Shahi dynasty was engaged in constant warfare, that led to the expansion of their kingdom. Towards the last years of his rule, the Mogul Emperor, Akbar the Great, attacked and captured Berar in 1596 and Ahmednagar in 1600. Thus Ahmednagar became one of the 15 provinces of the Mogul Empire.