The infamous Koh-i-Noor diamond, one of England's Crown Jewels, has a history so bloody it makes Game of Thrones look like a children's cartoon.
The 105.6-carat diamond was forcibly removed from India in the 1850s and during King Charles' coronation this year it will be exhibited as a "symbol of conquest" in London.
The Koh-i-noor diamond was placed in the centre of the Queen Mother's Crown in 1937. Photo: Public domain
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Some say the diamond's exceptional history dates back to the beginning of time, says Anita Anand, a media presenter and co-author of the book Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond.
“In the Rigveda, which is an ancient Hindu scripture, there's talk of the gem of the Sun God ... you need to understand that history to understand the curse that is now associated with the diamond.”
Legend goes that because the Koh-i-Noor diamond originally belonged to a god, no man was worthy of it, Anand says.
“Any man who had [the diamond] risked having his family and his kingdom reduced to ashes. Only a woman could wear it with impunity. That's the very root of the story.”
Through geological research, we know that the Koh-i-Noor originally came from India, where it was pushed up through the soft earth of the historic Golconda region.
The first mention of it is in historical documents from the Mughal era (17th century) when it sat atop the Peacock Throne of Emperor Shah Jahan - the man responsible for commissioning the Taj Mahal.
"The Peacock Throne, however, cost four times as much as the Taj Mahal to construct. [It was] absolutely encrusted with all of the gems, the best gems of the Mughal treasury.
"And right on top of it was this peacock with a head which is said to have been the Koh-i-Noor diamond. 'Koh-i-Noor' itself is a Persian word, it means Mountain of Light.
“The first time [this diamond] passes into the knowledge of human beings is [via] the head of this Peacock Throne - this kind of ice cream kiosk of a construction encrusted with bling.”
Subsequently, the Koh-i-Noor diamond passed through many hands, Anand says.
“The Mughals had it for a very long time, but then it passes through to the Persians, and then it passes from the Persians through a great deal of bloodshed that makes Game of Thrones look like a children's cartoon.
"It then passes into the hands of the Afghans, and then from the Afghans, it has a little circuit back to India, and then from India to Great Britain.”
Photo: Bloomsbury
Sikh emperor Ranjit Singh, aka the Lion of Punjab, was the only monarch to own the Koh-i-Noor diamond without dying a horrible, agonising death.
When he died in the 1840s, though, the diamond was passed to his eldest son and "a lot of hacking and murdering and poisoning" ensued. Eventually, it was given to Singh's youngest son Duleep, a little boy who came to the throne at age five.
For a very long time, British colonialists had kept a close eye on the north of India, known as the "breadbasket", because of its arable lands and famous jewels, Anand says.
Dishonouring a previous treaty, the British East India Company separated the boy king from his mother, locked her up in a tower, and forced him to sign over his kingdom, his diamond and his future.
“What I thought, when I first decided to delve into the history [of the Koh-i-Noor diamond] with my co-writer William Dalrymple, was that we objected to this idea that it was a gift from grateful Indians to the British Empire for the railways and for cricket, and all of that kind of thing because that seemed to be the story that was wound around the Tower of London where it was kept.
"Unless you have gifts that are given at the point of a bayonet, this was no gift. So that is why [this diamond's ownership] is such a contentious issue and remains a very contentious issue today.”
In 1851, when the Koh-i-Noor diamond was displayed at London's Crystal Palace as the centrepiece of Britain's crown jewels, it failed to wow the crowds.
"It didn't sparkle like British gems did. So after being exhibited and people sort of greeting it with a 'meh', it was taken off almost in disgrace like a prisoner from the tower and Prince Albert decided to re-cut it against the advice of all of his experts because it has a flaw at the heart of it, the Koh-i-Noor diamond.”
Today, the diamond is only half of its original size, Anand says.
Over the years, India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have all claimed rightful ownership of the gem.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth last year, Indian authorities called for the gem to be repatriated.
“India has the most current claim, and they also say it came from Indian soil so it must be ours. And also, it was taken in a reprehensible way,
“India says you can't force a young boy without anyone around him whom he trusts, surrounded by men with shiny epaulettes [speaking a] language that he doesn't understand, to sign it over ... that is the claim that is making the most noise at the moment.”
Displaying the Koh-i-Noor diamond as a "gem of conquest", is at least honest, she says.
"A gem of conquest was actually what it was, so that's the way it's going to be seen.
"I don't doubt that it's going to attract a lot of attention. I don't think the heat is going to go away either.”