The Diamond of War

"He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity." So goes an old Hindi curse placed on the Kohinoor. The book traces the history of the Kohinoor and the history of all those whose hands it passes through to chronicle the violent fates that befell those who owned it. From its first known possible mention as the Syamantaka of the Krishna story to its passage to the hands of Babur and his family, down to Nadir Shah, Ahmed Shah Abdali, Ranjit Singh and finally the British, the story is elaborated. The book is a history of the period and details how the lives of the possessors of the Kohinoor were affected. One wonders if the curse is in fact true and that misfortune befell those who owned it, so much so that its current presence among the British Crown jewels is in the crown of the Queen Consort. It is supposed to bring ill-luck to sovereigns.