The recent uproar by a group of Indian businessmen and Bollywood personalities to sue the Queen of England and demand the return of the Kohinoor has historians divided
Recently, a group of influential Indian personalities came forward, all set to sue Queen Elizabeth II and demanding the return of the 105-carat Kohinoor, also known as the ‘Mountain of Light’. This is not the first time Indians are demanding the United Kingdom to return the diamond. We spoke to historians about the sudden rise in interest and also why the Kohinoor holds such importance when there are numerous other artifacts that have been taken away from the country, destroyed or looted.
Talking about the issue of an Indian jewel remaining in the UK, Dr Amrit Kaur Basra, Deputy Dean, Foreign Student’s Registry, Delhi University, states that it is an issue of national heritage and also an aspect of preservation of the arts and culture for the wider benefit of humanity. “One should also see that the diamond was, by force, made to be presented to Queen Victoria in 1850, by the Marquess of Dalhousie, the British governor-general of Punjab,” she says and adds, “The story of the diamond is significant as it signifies two key issues: western custodianship of foreign treasures and the legacy of the British Empire. The gem was mined out of Golgunda and has travelled across the country. At last it was with the King of Punjab before being handed over to the queen of England as a gift.”
She goes on, “Now, under international law, a country cannot ask for the return of a treasure that was gifted. But, if you read through the Annexation of Punjab, you will know that the Shahi khazana of Raja Ranjit Singh was confiscated by the British empire, and it included some very significant and precious artifacts like the sword of Guru Govind Singh and a palki made of gold among other things. Finally, they made young king Dilip Singh gift the Kohinoor to the queen in promise of returning the state of Punjab to him, which eventually never happened. Thus, the question arises that was Kohinoor actually a gift or was it looted away from a young king aged seven at that time So, I guess as a goodwill gesture, England should return the Kohinoor to India as it holds tremendous historical value to the country.”
Explaining the history of this stone further, historian William Dalrymple says, “The history of the Kohinoor is more complex than it is projected to be in reality and also, Raja Ranjit Singh was not the legal heir of the diamond. It is a well-known fact that he confiscated the diamond from the Afghan king. So, it is very difficult to decide whom it should be retuned to — Punjab or the descendants of the Tughlaq and Lodhi dynasties, or to Persians Instead, I believe we should educate the Britishers about the history of this stone and the legend of an ancient curse which states that any male who owns it will possess the world but all its miseries too.”
Talking about the legalities surrounding the diamond, art historian Alka Pande states, “The 105-carat diamond was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850 after the second Anglo-Sikh war. According to the 1846 Treaty of Lahore, the entry states the transfer of ownership of the gem called the Kohinoor, which was surrendered by Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk to Maharajah Ranjit Singh, and then surrendered by the Maharajah of Lahore to the Queen of England.”
Presenting a different argument, historian Sohail Hashmi states, “All third world countries should come together and sue the British for looting us of our heritage. People are asking for the Kohinoor because of its symbolic value but what about the other culturally significant objects We all should come together and appeal to the UN for the return of our cultural heritage. It should be a movement by the colonised countries against the British Empire for the return of their cultural heritage.”
