From mines of Golconda to Tower of London: The story of Kohinoor

Seated comfortably with the Crown jewels of the Queen mother at the Tower of London, the Kohinoor diamond has been a bone of contention between the Indian and the British governments for decades. The origin of the diamond has been placed in the Golconda in Andhra Pradesh. It was mined from the Rayalaseema diamond mine when it was under the rule of the Kakatiya dynasty. (Wikimedia Commons)
READ: From Golconda to London, the journey of Kohinoor diamond

Under the rulership of Alauddin Khilji, the second ruler of the Delhi Sultanate dynasty, the Khiljis made successful raids in Southern India. It is believed that the Khiljis came to acquire the diamond in one such expedition at Warangal in 1310. (Wikimedia Commons)

In 1526 Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, from whom he acquired the diamond. Babur mentions the diamond in his memoir, the Baburnama. (Wikimedia Commons)

After Babur, there is record that it adorned Shah Jahan’s Peacock throne. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Persian monarch, Nadir Shah invaded the Mughal empire in 1739 and therein obtained the diamond. Legend has it that it was Nadir Shah who gave the diamond its current name, ‘koh-i-noor’, which in Persian means mountain of light.(Wikimedia Commons)

After Nadir Shah's death, the Kohinoor came into the acquisition of one of his generals, Ahmad Shah Durrani. One of his descendents, Shah Shuja Durrani gave the diamond to Ranjit Singh of Punjab.(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1849, the British conquered Punjab and the Lahore treaty was proclaimed. Lord Dalhousie, in 1851, arranged for the Kohinoor to be presented to Queen Victoria by Duleep Singh, successor of Ranjit Singh.(Wikimedia Commons)