The ownership of the jewel has been contested over the centuries, passing through the hands of Mughal emperors, Iranian shahs and Sikh maharajas before the Kingdom of Punjab gave it to Queen Victoria in 1849 as part of a peace treaty.
India has repeatedly sought the return of the Koh-i-Noor, describing it as a “valued piece of art with strong roots in our nation’s history”, while many Indians view Britain’s possession of the gem as a symbol of colonial plunder and injustice.
Historians Anita Anand and William Dalrymple, who wrote a book on the gem titled “Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond,” said that at that point, it had become a true symbol of power once in the hands of Singh.
“It was not just that Ranjit Singh liked diamonds and respected the stone’s vast monetary value; the gem seems to have held a far greater symbolism for him,” an excerpt of the book, published by Smithsonian Magazine, said.
Historian at Rutgers University, Audrey Truschke, wrote on X, how reversing colonialism’s damage isn’t simple. Truschke added, “undoing colonial harm is complicated.”
Truschke, whose work focuses on medieval South Asia, especially the Mughal Empire, had an audacious response to the statement.
“The British took the Koh-i-Noor diamond from a Sikh king of Punjab in Lahore… So, it’s not clear ‘to whom’ the British should return it.
