Mir Shah

 

The Tower of London is a premier destination when visiting the megacity known for fashion, history, and cuisine. What is inside the Tower of London, is an array of tourist attractions, meant for individuals to learn more about the nation, while offering stunning displays on torture, war, and the most exciting of all: the crown jewels exhibit. The exhibit presents various jewels and ornaments from the time of the early Monarchy, all the way to the recent coronation of King Charles. While seeing royal jewels on an exhibit may seem unproblematic, the exhibit also contains a highly contested diamond that is attributed to Britain’s colonial legacy: The Kohinoor. The Kohinoor, meaning “mountain of light” in Farsi, has a historical legacy and is associated with the right to rule, conquest, and dominance. The Kohinoor diamond has swapped various hands over the last couple centuries, with the first known evidence of its existence tracing back to Mughal rule in India, particularly during the reign of Shahjahan. During the reign of this Mughal ruler, there was the construction of the peacock throne, which contained the Kohinoor as one of the gems sewn into the throne, and cost four times the amount on building the lavish and luxurious Taj Mahal. Eventually, the Kohinoor was taken to Iran, under Nader Shah’s invasion of the subcontinent, where the very peacock throne, and the crown jewel, the Kohinoor, was now under the custody of a foreign ruler. Eventually, the diamond was confiscated by the Afghan Durrani Empire, and subsequently, placed into an armband by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, of the Sikh Empire. Ultimately, the Kohinoor ended up in the hands of the British, as there was a deal between the British and a young boy who ruled a Kingdom and owned the diamond. The young boy ultimately gave the diamond (some would argue he was coerced) and his Kingdom to Queen Victoria, who proudly wore the Kohinoor on a brooch, and was the first time a Western Monarch had custody over the diamond. While it may look like a piece of common glass, and nothing extraordinary, the Diamond reflects a long standing history of conquest and legitimacy, as various rulers have used it to symbolize their time in power. Some say the Kohinoor is cursed and brings pain and suffering to those who have embraced it, often citing Shahjahan’s imprisonment by his son and Nader Shah’s assassination. Nonetheless, with the rise of India as an emerging power, there have been demands by the Indian government (as well as Pakistan, Iran, and the Taliban in Afghanistan) to return the Kohinoor back. It is very unlikely that the British Government ever returns, since the justification of who owes who what is difficult, especially in a post-colonial setting, where there are various complexities on ownership and lineage of the object in question. This raises the question of whether or not the Kohinoor should even be returned, with many scholars, including Indian scholars, citing that it is better for the history of the Kohinoor to be accurately displayed, thus ensuring that generations have access to proper information about the internationally coveted diamond.