The peacock Throne

How the Kohinoor made its journey to the British Crown Jewels from the peacock throne.

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The passing of the longest reigning monarch has received mixed reactions. Whilst the loss of any soul is a cause of mourning, as countries that have been colonized, ruined, looted (the word as well as the action), there is simply something amuck about grieving the loss of the Queen of England. Whilst social media has left no grounds untouched and weaved the narrative into disturbingly funny memes, some issues still sting a chord and call for action.

What was once the property of the subcontinent, the Kohinoor diamond, which is now part of the British Crown Jewels, has had a long history, to say the least. As part of its glory and grandeur, the diamond was once the benign jewel in the splendid Peacock Throne or the Takht i taus. A wonder to behold, the Peacock Throne was lacquered with gold and donned a silk canopy. Aside from the Kohinoor, several precious jewels like rubies, emeralds and pearls were encrusted into the Peacock Throne.

Source: wikipedia

After the shift of the capital to Delhi, the Emperor commissioned the construction of the throne. Records show that the construction of the throne took seven years to complete at the hands of skilled artisans and craftsmen.

Coupled with the Taj Mahal, Qila Mubarak and the entire construction of Shahjahanabad, the height of extravagance of the time remains unmatched. Even though the Peacock Throne is no more than an ornate memory and a piece of royal history, its information serves as a reminder of the Golden Age.

The goal to be Solomon or the ‘Shadow of God’, a throne parallel to God’s had to be made. Thus, the commission of the Peacock Throne was underway and constructed on a pedestal in the courtroom. From the throne, the Emperor could see everyone in the crowd and be closer to God at the same time.

The display of extravagance of the Mughal treasury was displayed from the five hundred pounds of precious gemstones embedded into it. Famous gems like the Timur ruby, and Akbar Shah encompassed the throne.

source: ThoughtCO

The French jeweller Jean Baptiste Tavernier had carefully assessed the Takht as a personal guest of Aurangzeb and deemed the pearls to be the most valuable part of the throne.

Until 1739, the throne was the seat of every Mughal Emperor and retained its austere grandeur in the subcontinent. After Nadir Shah ransacked and plunged Delhi, the throne along with its pomp was looted too. After the assassination of Nadir Shah at the hands of his bodyguards in 1747, the Peacock Throne was cut into pieces and all the gold and jewels in it were robbed.

After the collapse of Nadir Shah’s regime, the Koh i noor was adorned by Ahmad Shah Durrani and his descendants. In 1809, Ranjit Singh took ownership of the diamond when he established the Sikh Empire. Till its annexation by the East India Company in 1849, the jewel remained within the subcontinent.

The rest, as they say, was history.

Even though the magnificent jewel is now no longer a part of the rich cultural heritage, it would be wrong to assume that the Kohinoor was the only opulent jewel on the regal throne.