The Kohinoor Diamond

The Kohinoor Diamond is one of the most famous diamonds in the world. It is also one of the oldest. It was discovered in the late 13th or 14th century, and originally belonged to the Delhi Sultanate of India, which was at that time, led by Sultan Allaudin Khilji.

The Kohinoor Diamond

There is also a bit of superstition associated with the Kohinoor diamond. While the Koh-i-noor diamond is held to bring misfortune or death to any man who wears or owns it, it is supposed to bring good luck to any woman who does the same.

The Diamond in the British Crown Jewels

In the fifteenth century, the Kohinoor Diamond passed into the hands of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty of emperors. During this period, the diamond was known as the Babarnama diamond. The Kohinoor diamond continued to be in the ownership of the Mughal emperors, until it was grabbed by Nadir Shah, an invader from Persia.

The Babarnama diamond was renamed the Kohinoor Diamond by Nadir Shah, who took the diamond from Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah, after he captured Delhi and Agra in 1739. Kohinoor means ‘mountain of light’. Check out this video:

In 1851, the Kohinoor Diamond was surrendered by Emperor Ranjit Singh, its last owner, to Queen Victoria of Britain. This was after Emperor Ranjit Singh lost a battle against the mighty British forces in India. It was later added to the British Crown Jewels.

The Koh-i-noor Diamond originally weighed a huge 186 carats. It was cut and polished down to the size of 108.93 carats, when it was made a part of the British crown jewels.