Everyone has heard the legend of the Kohinoor, the most expensive diamond in the world. Archives suggest that the diamond was first found in the 13th century, during the reign of the Kakatiya Dynasty. It was discovered inside the Kollur Mines in the Golconda Region.
Now, the rare, one-of-a-kind expensive gem is no longer in India but is part of the British Crown Jewels and rests on the display at the Jewel House, Tower of London.
However, there have been legends about the Kohinoor that make many believe that the stone is cursed, having brought bad luck to its male owners.
The Kohinoor caused a lot of battles over its ownership despite it being cursed. It was a legend that the rare gem brought bad omen to its male owners since the kings who had their hands on the Kohinoor have had to suffer.
The Kohinoor was famously displayed on the gorgeous Peacock Throne during Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's reign. The Emperor, as is popularly known, was held in prison by his own son, Aurangzeb and spent the last years of his life in torment.
Iran's Nadir Shah founded the Afsharid Dynasty and hatched a conniving plan to own the Kohinoor in 1739. However, he was assassinated in 1747 and the ownership of the gem was placed of his grandson, Shahrokh Shah, who too, was murdered in 1796 by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar.
Later possessors of the diamond, Shah Shuja Durrani, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Kharak Singh, Nau Nihal Singh, all met with unfortunate fate that ended in. their deaths.
It was Maharaja Duleep Singh who gave the diamond as a gift to Queen Victoria after the Last Treaty of Lahore was signed between two parties. By then, the news of the curse of the Kohinoor on its male possessors were well known and the British were cautious. Hence, it was the Queens thereon, who wore the diamond on their crown and it seems like the curse faded away.
Given that the Kohinoor was largely owned by Emperors and Kings, it is probably a coincidence that each owner died an untimely death triggered by state and kingdom politics. However, the lore of the curse definitely makes the diamond more interesting.
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