Springcleaning Book 22 – “Koh-i-noor” by Anita Anand and William Dalrymple

Koh-i-noor by Anita Anand and William Dalrymple is a book about the great Indian diamond which is now part of the British Crown Jewels. I thought that this would be an interesting mini-history which would touch on some things that I have been reading about recently, including British imperialism. I can’t remember when I bought this book but it was a new copy, probably purchased in Waterstones. I had previously read a couple of books by Anita Anand (see my review of one of them here) which I had enjoyed and I am aware that William Dalrymple is a well-regarded historian so I expected this to be an accessible history.

The book tells the story of the diamond from its probable discovery in India when there were many diamonds collected and sold. It resided with the most important ruling families of the Punjab where it was worn openly and later fought over. In the mid-nineteenth century it was claimed by the East India Company and signed over by the ten year old Maharajah, who was also taken to Britain to try and prevent an uprising against British rule. The jewel was given to Queen Victoria and she also took an interest in its ex-owner whilst trying to justify what was at most theft or at least coercion. The jewel has been part of the Crown Jewels ever since and traditionally worn by queens and queen consorts at important events.

The book tells the story of the various owners of the famous diamond and what happened to them, and also why it was considered to be cursed. This involves a bit of Indian history which was well told and showed clearly how the diamond was important to the people and how it represented their rulers. The story of its transfer into British hands is bleak and so is the history of its last Indian ruler. The book also touches on more recent attempts to have the jewel returned to its homeland.

This was an interesting and informative book which I found easy to read and follow despite my woeful knowledge of Indian history. It doesn’t gloss over the bloody history of the ownership of the diamond nor of the injustice of its transfer into British hands but it seeks to make the story of the diamond the story of those who owned it or who were touched by its history. I enjoyed it quite a lot and now the book has been given a permanent place on my bookshelves along with the few books I own on aspects of Indian history.